


Red Days

by HomuraBakura



Series: Yu-Gi-Oh! RED [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Canon Extension, Fluff, Gen, OC-centric, Post-Series, School, Shipping Babies, Superpowers, honestly just fun and games without much plot, nextgen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2018-12-22 21:02:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 78,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11974944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HomuraBakura/pseuds/HomuraBakura
Summary: [For GX Month]Osiris Red is the slush pile of Duel Academy, a place for the slackers and almost-dropouts.  At least...that's what it used to be.  That was before Yuki Judai, Johan Andersen, and their former classmates turned it into a hotspot for collecting kids with Duel Monsters-related powers, to protect and teach them how to use their abilities.With a dorm jam packed with powered kids, what could possibly go wrong?





	1. Game Start! Happy Birthday, Judai!

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Secret of Red](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7970401) by [HomuraBakura](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HomuraBakura/pseuds/HomuraBakura). 



> hey hey, so idk if anyone remembers The Secret of Red, a oneshot I posted for last year's GX month, about a couple of OCs and a potential post-series idea where Judai and Johan basically make the Duel Monsters equivalent of the X-Men at Osiris Red.
> 
> Regardless if you remember...I'm going to be expanding on that this month! :D We'll see if I can truly keep up with it, but hopefully I'll have a short oneshot for every prompt every day~ I'll be adding appropriate tags as we go because tbh I can't think straight enough to think about what could be coming up to tag for ;w; anyway, here's the story then, buh byeeee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judai wakes up to a series of birthday messages on his cellphone--and one incredible bit of news from Johan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Happy Belated Birthday, Judai

His phone buzzed: once, twice, three times.

He fumbled in his pocket for it for a moment, sleepily running a hand over his face. What time was it?

 _Almost ten in the morning,_ Yubel informed him, as he groggily sat up on the tree branch, letting his legs dangle on either side. _France time, though. We just jumped from Canada yesterday, so you're experiencing jet lag._

“Mmm,” Judai said. He finally managed to wrap his fingers around his phone and drag it from the old, ratty pocket. It was a wonder this jacket's pockets didn't have holes in them yet. He flipped the phone open, rubbing his eye with one knuckle as he stared at his screen. The phone buzzed again twice more while he was opening the message screen.

“ _Happy birthday!”_ the first one read, followed by about fifteen emojis of varying states of smiles. Judai cracked a smile in spite of himself. Shou.

Damn, wait...was it really his birthday? He was so dizzy that for a moment, he wasn't sure what day it was. He clicked back out of the messages for a moment to check the screen. Damn. It _was_ his birthday: August thirty first. Hadn't it just been April a moment ago? He was getting all mixed up in between dimension and country jumps...

He opened up his messages again. The second one was from Asuka. A photo of her and Fubuki making a heart sign together at the camera accompanied the happy birthday message. Judai found himself smiling as the tiredness began to dissipate. _“Hope you're having a great day,”_ it read. _“If you can stop by sometime soon, we'll have cake for you!”_

He was surprised to find a third one from Manjoume. It was unadorned, just “happy bday,” but still, from Manjoume, the thought was appreciated. Judai laughed a little thinking about his friend's sour face typing out a message.

The fourth one came from Edo—wow, Judai hadn't even known that Edo had known his birthday...and in the photo accompanying it, O'Brien and Jim were making peace signs behind Edo. Even Karen was poking her head up in the bottom corner. The message read simply read “hey nerd heard it was your birthday.” Judai laughed again. Who was the real nerd here...

The last one was from a number he was more than familiar with. He was already smiling when he flipped it open.

He smiled even bigger when he saw what the message contained.

“ _Happy birthday,”_ Johan's message read. _“Here's your present: Samejima approved our proposal for Osiris Red.”_

Judai's heart leaped, his smile breaking out into a full grin.

He was swinging out of the tree before Daitokuji even appeared, looking groggy himself even though he was a ghost.

“ _What's up, Judai?”_ he said.

Pharaoh meowed irritably in Judai's bag, angry at having been awoken from Judai's leap from the tree. Judai just grinned, his heart beating with excitement.

“Osiris Red is a go,” he said, aware that he was grinning like a madman and talking to the air after jumping out of a tree. At least there was no one in the park to see him. “We're getting our special dorm for the powered kids.”

 


	2. The First Day!  The Truth About Osiris Dorm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the third year of the new Osiris Dorm, and Johan cannot wait to meet the newest batch of students.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: First day of School
> 
> warning: contains...far too many OCs. I love my children.
> 
> also: this takes place approx. three years after the last chapter. Judai and Johan have had two classes so far, and this is their newest set of first years.

Johan shifted from foot to foot, gnawing on his lip. He could hear the fumbling of feet in the dorm common room just behind the door. He drummed his fingers lightly on his desk. This was the third time he had done this already, and he still got nervous every time. Was he going to make a good first impression? Was he going to make these kids feel safe and welcome? Was he going to be able to do a good job as a teacher again?

Despite not hearing anything, and despite knowing he was the only one in the room, a hand clapped him lightly on the back of the shoulder.

“Loosen up,” Judai said with a faint laugh in the back of his voice. “You're all tense.”

Johan briefly jumped, and then a laugh rolled out of him.

“God, Judai, stop sneaking up on me!” he said, spinning in his chair.

Judai crossed his eyes at Johan, and Johan had to grin. Judai hadn't changed—he never really seemed to in between their visits. He was the same old tall, slightly too lanky young man with a sharp chin and too shaggy hair that was probably needing a haircut. Johan stood and the two briefly hugged tightly.

“I didn't know you were coming so early,” Johan said, as they stepped apart, still gripping Judai's arms. “You're usually a few weeks late. I'm impressed.”

Judai stuck out his tongue at Johan.

“Oh hush,” he said. “I'm not _that_ late.”

“Last year you didn't even show up until second semester.”

“I got tangled up with an interdimensional murder mystery, my bad.”

Johan laughed. Judai was taller than him now, and he had to reach up to ruffle his hair.

“I'm just teasing,” he said. “I think the first-years are gathering for orientation now. Do you want to introduce yourself now?”

“Uh, well, I might have already said hi to a few of them, so why not?”

Johan put his hands on his hips, fixing his friend with a smirking gaze.

“Oh? What's that about? Have you been skulking around my students again?”

“In my defense, I've already taken the punishment of falling off the roof,” Judai said.

Johan just shook his head with a smile.

“Well, let's not keep them waiting, then,” he said. “I can hear the awkward silence from here.”

Judai nodded. He let Johan go ahead of him, holding the door so that Johan could go through first.

No one had been speaking when Johan walked into the small “cafeteria” room, but he felt all of the attention move towards him as though a hush had fallen over a crowd. This was the largest batch they'd had yet, he thought. Ten students wasn't much, but compared to their first classes of six and eight, it was something. If they kept growing along this path, they'd have to petition Samejima more insistently to expand Osiris Red's dorm space.

Well, that was for another time.

“Welcome everyone,” Johan said, spreading his arms out. “My name is Johan Andersen. I'll be your dorm adviser this year, and you'll also be seeing me in a few of your classes. I teach Basic Duel Theory for first years, as well as a handful of other things.”

He stepped aside to let Judai step next to him, gesturing to him.

“And this is Yuki Judai.”

“Yo,” Judai said, saluting with two fingers. “I'm not an official staff member, but you can think of me as a secondary dorm adviser.”

Johan smiled and nodded, then turned his eyes back to the room.

“Now, I'm sure a couple of you are...well, disappointed to have been placed in Osiris Red,” he said. “That's understandable. For a long time, it's been known as the 'drop-out' dorm.”

One of the kids near the front snorted loudly, but they didn't looked up from their phone, which was attached to an earbud in one ear. Johan grimaced, but he didn't tell them to take the music out. Clearly, they were listening.

“But I want you to know that's not true,” Johan said. “Not anymore, at least. If you're in Osiris Red, you're here for a reason.”

“Yeah, and the reason is cause we're dropouts, yea?” the same kid said, their brown eyes flickering up to Johan. “You don't have to sugarcoat it, teach.”

“Hey, let the guy talk!” the girl behind them said, leaning over her table.

“Hey, it's all right, I get it,” Judai said, folding his arms. “I'm an alumni of this dorm, and we get a bad rap. But if you're here nowadays, it's not cause of your grades, or your track record.”

He winked at the kid in front, and they actually flushed slightly, looking back down at their phone.

“You're all here because you have gifts that the other students of Duel Academy don't,” Johan said. “Calling Red the drop-out dorm is mostly smoke and mirrors, to make sure that the students here have the chance to explore those gifts without any interference.”

Now the room was looking interested. He could feel the room getting a little tenser as all eyes fixed onto him. Johan thought it was time enough. He tapped his leg, and Ruby Carbuncle slipped out from under the table, scurrying up his leg and onto his shoulder. He heard a faint chorus of gasps from around the room, but some of the others looked curiously around, as though wondering what they were supposed to see.

“How many of you can see Ruby?” Johan said.

About half the class raised their hands. Johan scratched Ruby's chin, and blew out once, releasing a bit of energy for Ruby to become solid. Then the rest of the class gasped and leaned forward.

“This is Ruby Carbuncle,” he said. “He's a Duel Spirit. The fact that half of you can see him without my bringing him into reality means that you have powers similar to mine. Those of you who couldn't see him, that just means you have other abilities.”

The room was so dead quiet that he could have heard his own heartbeat.

“And that's what Osiris Red is,” Johan said. “This is where you get to meet others who are like you, and learn how to use the powers you're born with.”

Even the snarky kid in the front was staring with their mouth hanging open now. Judai winked at them again.

“So! I think that's just about enough for a starting introduction—”

A hand in the back shot up. Johan looked over towards it—the hand belonged to a girl near the back corner. She was lightly sun-tanned, with dusty brown hair in a side braid that draped over one shoulder. Freckles dusted her face.

“You have a question?” he said. “You're...Anani Ivanova-san?”

The girl nodded. Her hand slowly floated back down and she stared at the table for a moment. When she looked up, her blue eyes were faintly shining with nervous tears.

“Um, sir,” she said. “If what you said is true, and this is a place for those of us who are...um...different...does that mean you know that I'm...?”

Johan just smiled, and nodded.

“Ivanova-san, you're more than welcome to be yourself around here. That's what Osiris Red is for. You don't have to be afraid.”

Anani's eyes briefly widened. She looked quickly at the rest of the class, who was all staring at her. Then she closed her eyes with a sucked in breath.

Very slowly, the color bled out of her, her freckles fading as her skin turned a pale white, the dusty brown leaching from her hair until it, too, was white. When she opened her eyes, they were pale and colorless. She looked up nervously, eyes flickering around at the rest of the room, as though waiting for a response.

“DUDE,” the girl leaning over the table on the other side of the room said, her purple pigtails bouncing. “That was fucking RAD!”

Anani's eyes widened. And then a faint smile spread over her face.

“Me too! Me too!” a boy near the back said. He screwed his eyes shut and ran his hands through his bushy brown hair. A moment later, dog ears perked up out of his hair, and he opened his eyes with a huge smile.

It was like a dam had broken. The tension snapped, and people were slumping slightly in their chairs, one of the girls was turning quickly to the person next to them and asking very quickly if they could see Ruby or what they could do

Johan held up his hands and eventually, the room quieted.

“You guys are going to be spending the next three years together, so you'll have plenty of time to get to know each other. For now, let me take attendance and make sure everyone who's supposed to be here is here—and then we can get you guys some dinner, and pass out your schedules. You'll be abl to meet the second- and third-years tomorrow too.”

Judai tapped Johan on the shoulder, and Johan turned to find Judai passing his clipboard with the names to him. Johan flipped it around towards him, clearing his throat as he looked down the list.

“Fujita Minato,” he called out.

The kid in the front row with the earbud raised their hand slowly. They were a lanky child, their shaggy red hair falling over one of their dark eyes, a black hat pulled low over their bangs. Besides their Osiris uniform, they were wearing a choker and some thick cuffs on their wrists.

“Hayashi Taiki,” he said.

A boy in the front row opposite Minato's shot his hand into the air. Unlike Minato, this boy looked like he belonged in middle school; he was still short and round with remaining baby fat, his shaggy green hair cut close around his chin, green eyes sparkling. He had a small strawberry key chain attached to his jacket lapel.

“Inugawa Taro.”

The boy in the back with the dog ears raised his hand up, almost standing up with the excitement. He was darkly tanned, with shaggy brown hair that was white underneath, like a shiba. He even had a face kinda like a dog's, wide and excited and with a giant, open mouthed grin. Over his jacket collar, he had tied a green bandanna with white spirals decorating the fabric.

“Ivanova, Anani.”

The girl with the white skin, hair, and eyes shyly raised her hand. Her red jacket set off her skin with almost a glow, but the ghostly look suited her. It looked more right than the colors she had been wearing to disguise herself, anyway.

“Kawaguchi Hanako.”

Sitting in front of Anani, a girl raised her hand primly, a soft smile on her lips. She was sun-tanned, with her long yellow hair draped over her shoulders, bangs tied back on either side with dark blue ribbons. Her eyes were two colors, one dark green, and one teal, and the teal one seemed to glow slightly in the light. She seemed to be a tall girl if she were standing, with slender shoulders.

“Orlando, Nina.”

The girl with the purple pigtails shot both hands in the air, waving with a large grin on her face. She was pale and scrawny, and probably a fair bit shorter than the rest of the class. Her hair was pulled into fluffy, messy purple pigtails, with a pair of goggles shoved up against her mussed bangs. Her jacket hung open to show off the neon purple crop-top band shirt she was wearing underneath.

“Smith, Morgan.”

The girl didn't so much raise her hand as she did...lift her arm over her head. Literally. She smiled widely as she waved her flopping, detached arm up in the air. Several students made a faint “eewww” sound, which only made her smile grow wider. Her skin was faintly tinged with gray, her perfectly coiffed pink hair in two large, spiral pigtails tied off with red ribbon. Seemingly satisfied with her response, she lowered her hand and went about reattaching her arm into its socket.

“Tanaka Akiara.”

The girl flinched, and raised her hand only after a beat of hugging herself, and then quickly put it down. She was a short but much rounder girl, with her bob cut hair so much longer in the front that the bangs fell almost entirely over her eyes, obscuring most of her fair-skinned face.

“Ueno Miu.”

No hand raised. Johan looked up and around.

“Ueno Miu?”

“That's _you_ ,” someone hissed, and Johan looked towards the back. A girl with black hair was poking the girl sitting next to her, who appeared to have fallen asleep against the desk. Her white hair was cut short around a round, almost cherubic face, brown eyes blinkly sleepily as the black haired girl beside her just grabbed her hand and raised it over her head.

“She's right here!” the girl said, face flushing. “You can keep going.”

Johan stifled a laugh, and continued.

“And you must be Yamaguchi Saki,” he said, reading the last name on the list as he looked up at the black haired girl. The girl flushed and nodded, accidentally dropping Miu's hand and causing it to flop loudly against the table. She clapped her hands over her mouth in embarrassment.

Saki was a tall sort of girl, her long black hair loose around her shoulders, and her dark green eyes trying to find anywhere but at Miu to look.

Johan smiled and set down his clipboard.

“That's everyone in the first years,” he said. “Well, let me welcome you all here one last time—I'm sure we're going to have a great year.”

He looked around the room at all the new faces, and nodded. Yes...this was going to be a good group. He could hardly wait.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in case anyone was curious, here's a lineup of the first years :D
> 
> From left to right: Minato Fujita, Hanako Kawaguchi, Saki Yamaguchi, Miu Ueno, Taiki Hayashi, Taro Inugawa, Nina Orlando, Anani Ivanova, Morgan Smith, Akiara Tanaka


	3. The Reason For Coming - Welcome to Duel Academy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saki wanted to have a chance to digest this new development, but the girl from 3-3 has other ideas, barging into Saki and Miu's room to get to know all of their first-year classmates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Why did you start watching GX? -> why did you come to Duel Academy?

Saki flopped face first down on her bed, and moaned loudly into her pillow.  Angel, her spirit partner, picked his delicate way across the bed, and curled up beside her face, his fluffy nose poking at her face.

She felt Miu poke her gently in the back.

“Are you sick?” she asked.

“No,” Saki said.  “Sorry, I'm just...I'm overwhelmed.”

She flopped face up in bed, her hair splaying around her face and falling into her eyes.  Geez...she should have gotten a haircut before she left, her hair was too shaggy.

Miu tilted her head down to look at Saki with those huge, expressionless eyes of hers.  She rubbed at her nose with her fist, covered up by a too long sleeve.

“Miu thinks it was fun,” Miu said.  “Miu thinks Osiris Red is going to be a lot of fun.”

Saki's stomach roiled.  She wanted to agree with Miu.  Before today, she had thought she was the only person in the world who could see the things she did!  She had thought she might even be crazy.  And now, here they were, being told that there was an entire _world_ of craziness out there, and Saki had only barely scratched the surface with being able to see the creatures she did.

She looked up at Miu.

“None of this freaks you out...like at all?”

Miu shrugged.  Well, her roommate probably wasn't going to be good for pep talks, Saki decided.  She sat up, groaning.

“AH!  That's Buster Whelp of the Destruction Swordsmaster!”

Saki leaped in her seat and hit her head on the bottom of the bunk bed.  She had to double over with her hands over her head, pressing her head between her knees from the impact.

“Ooh!  Damn, that looked like it hurt.  Sorry!!”

Saki managed to peek up through her bangs.

The purple haired girl with the goggles was rubbing her neck sheepishly, a light blush over her fair cheeks.  She wasn't...exactly in a standard uniform.  She had her Osiris Red jacket, of course, but she had ripped the sleeves off of it, and under that was a neon purple band shirt that showed her belly button.  She was wearing the shortest possible black shorts with tall black lace up boots, and a belt with a large deck holster on the side.

“You okay, champ?” she asked.  “Didn't mean to spook ya!”

“Who—who are you??  How did you get in here?”

The girl jabbed her thumb at the window, which was...open, Saki realized.  Hadn't she closed it?

“You climbed through our window?”

“I wanted to see if I could do it!” the girl said.  “By the way, Nina's the name!  Nina Orlando!”

She jabbed her hand out towards Saki, and when Saki only stared at it, she moved it towards Miu.  Miu kind of weakly grabbed her hand through her too long sleeve still covering her own hand, but Nina seemed to take that well enough.

“I'm in the room next door, with Anani!  She's the girl from before who can like, change colors?  She's an absolute sweetheart by the way, I think you guys'd like her!  Oh!  What schools are you guys from?  I actually transferred in from Italy!”

“Wow, you've come far!”

A new voice drifted from the door, and Saki whipped towards her door.

“Okay, why is everyone coming here??” she said, as she realized the door was open.

The tall girl with the curly pink pigtails smiled widely.

“Darling, it's because this is where the commotion is.  Do forgive my intrusion, I wanted to see all the fuss.  I brought my roommate along for the adventure!”

She reached around the corner and practically dragged a very shy looking girl with long bangs covering her eyes around the door.  The girl squeaked and put her hands over her eyes, covering herself up with her sleeves.

“This darling is my roommate Tanaka Akiara,” Morgan said.  “And I'm Morgan Smith!  You're welcome to address me as Morgan.”

“Um, hi?” Saki said.  “N-no, wait, what is everyone doing in our room?”

“Ah! So this is where the party is!”

Saki bit down on a long groan as the boy with the dog ears poked up from behind Morgan.

“There isn’t one!” Saki said, finally uncrunching herself from underneath the bunk bed.  “There’s no party!”

“Hey, first-years, welcome party in Saki and Miu’s room,” Nina leaned through the door and bellowed down the hall—when had she gotten over there??

“H-hey!!”

It was, in the end, no use.

Saki found herself perched on top of her desk, both desk chairs having been stolen by other students, and all the space on the bed and floor otherwise taken.  Geez, this was hers and Miu’s room…they should at least get dibs on actually places to sit.

Miu didn’t look bothered where she was cuddling with Madolche Mewfeille on the floor, the tiny cat looking as sleep as she did.

“So hey!!” Nina said, bouncing on the edge of the bed.  “Sick place, right??  Who else is excited!”

She thrust her hand into the air.  Taro, the dog boy, also threw his hand up, but no one else responded initially.  Morgan then grabbed Akiara’s hand and raised it for her.

“Yaay!” Morgan said.

“Uh—ah—yaaaay…” Akiara repeated.

“Hey, don’t bully her,” Saki said, frowning.

“It’s not bullying, it’s love,” Morgan said.

The green haired boy who looked like he was twelve—Taiki, right?—leaned forward off the top bunk bed, swinging his legs.

“S-so,” he said.  “How did you guys—you know.  Um.  Find out about your powers?”

“Hold on!” Nina said, throwing both hands up in a stop position.  “We are— _missing_ someone.”

She wrinkled her nose, looking around the room and clearly doing a mental count.  Saki groaned—could they even fit anyone else in here?

“It’s Fujita-kun,” the blond girl said, raising her hand.  Hanako, wasn’t it?  “My roommate.  They said it was silly and they didn’t want to come.”

“Blasphemy!” Nina said, shooting to her feet. “This meeting is for us to all get to know each other!  How are we going to make the most of our precious, three year high school life if we don’t become friends??”

Before anyone could protest, Nina was bolting out the door, leaving it flapping in her wake.  Without Nina’s, uh…bold demeanor, the room quickly fell silent and almost awkward.  Saki looked around sheepishly.  She was having trouble remembering all the names, and…Nina had a point.  Weird and overwhelming this might be, but these were going to be her classmates for three years, she should probably make an effort to get to know them.

Plus…they were…they were like her.  Sort of.

“Who would like to see a magic trick?” Morgan suddenly announced, like a pompous, aristocratic lady as she whooshed elegantly to her feet.

She didn’t wait for an answer before she popped her thumb right off of her socket.

Saki’s stomach lurched.

“Look, I have removed my thumb,” Morgan said.  “No, for real, look!”

She thrust the digit at Hanako, who looked suddenly sick, scootching back.

“U-um, is that necessary?” Anani mumbled.

“What?  It goes back on.”

Morgan replaced her thumb and wriggled it experimentally, showing them that it was perfectly connected to her again.

Right, Saki thought. They were like her.  Some of them, at least.

“See!  Good as new,” Morgan giggled.  “I can get my own nose, too, are you interested in observing?”

“No!  We’re fine!” Saki said quickly.

The door flung open again, and Nina reappeared.

“I have returned successful!” she bellowed—she only had one volume, huh?

“Let me go!  Fuck!”

Fujita Minato struggled at the end of Nina’s grip, but it seemed the girl had a hand like a vice, gripped hard into the back of Minato’s collar and dragging them into the room.

“We’re all here!” she said.  Saki winced, feeling kind of bad for Minato as Nina practically flung them forward, before closing the door and stationing herself against it.

“Bitch!” Minato gasped, red in the face.  “What the fuck!”

“Oy, that’s not nice,” Nina said.  “We’re classmates!  We should get along and get to know each other.”

Minato looked like they were going to tell Nina exactly where to shove her fist, but Nina talked over them.

“I’ll start!  I’ll start!  My name is Nina Orlando!  I’m in room 3-3 with Anani!  I’m what ya call a psychic duelist!!”

Psychic duelist?  What was that?

That seemed to have some kind of effect on Minato, however, who immediately froze mid-yell and stared at her.

“No fucking way,” they said.  “You?  There’s no way you’re a psychic duelist too.”

“Sure as pickles!” Nina said.

“What does that mean?” Taiki said, blinking.

“Sure as pickles?  It means—”

“N-no, sorry,” Taiki said.  “Um, though I kind of wonder about that too…I meant…psychic duelist.  What does that mean?”

“That’s my student classification,” Nina said proudly.  “Didn’t you guys check your student pagers?  It says what class you are in Osiris!”

Saki blinked.  No, she hadn’t looked at it.  She fished hers out of her pocket and logged it on.

“Being a psychic duelist means I can make the monsters real when I duel!” Nina said.  “This is my partner, Exploder Dragon!!”

She thrust the card in the air, waving it back and forth so that no one could have seen it if they were trying to look.

“Real?  You mean outside of solid vision already?” Hanako said, looking up from her pager.

“Yea!  You know how like, it’s solid, but it’s still a hologram?  My monsters turn super real, even without the hologram system being online.”

Minato was still staring at Nina as though she had two heads.

“Anyway, that’s me!” Nina said.  “Ummmmm…Hanako-chan!  You go next!”

“Me?”

“You’re sitting closest to me!”

Hanako frowned, twisting her ankles against each other under her chair.

“Um…my name is Kawaguchi Hanako.  I transferred from East Primary Duel Academy.”

Oh, wow…she was a cradle duelist, Saki thought.  Cradle duelists were what kids from the regular middle schools called kids who went to specific duel schools for middle school.  Duel middle schools tended to be ridiculously exclusive, with high tuition fees and super intense entrance exams.  You didn’t get sent there unless your parents were loaded, _and_ had plans to turn you into a pro duelist practically from your birth.

“Um…according to my pager, I’m classified as an oracle class,” she said.

“Ooo!!” Nina said, clapping her hands.  “What does that mean?  Can you see the future?”

Hanako flushed.

“The future isn’t that simple,” she said.  “I can divine the most likely possibilities, yes, but it’s not like opening up a book and—”

“Can you tell my future for me??” Taro asked, leaning forward.  He…he had a tail, Saki realized, and it was wagging really fast.

Hanako sighed.

“Fine.  Later, though.”

“All right!!’

“Fujita-kun, you next,” Nina said, jabbing her finger towards Minato.

“Fuck you,” Minato said.

“Okay, how about you?” Nina said, not even skipping a beat as she swung her finger towards the girl on the floor closest to her.

It was Akiara, the girl with the long bangs over her eyes, and she jumped—could she see from under there…?  She pointed at herself questioningly.

“Yea, you!  I didn’t get your name.”

“She’s—” Morgan started.

“Hey, let her talk for herself,” Saki said, feeling cross all of a sudden.

Akiara looked a bit relieved, and she bit her lip briefly.

“I-I’m…I’m Tana…Tanaka Akiara…it’s nice—it’s nice to meet you.”

She fumbled for a moment, wringing her hands.

“I-uh…I came from Kitamura,” she said.  She stumbled over a few more words.  At once, Saki saw Nina and Morgan both open their mouths.

“It’s great to meet you, Tanaka-san,” she said quickly.  “I’m Yamaguchi Saki, I’m from Hokkaido, and my pager says that I’m uh…a Spirit Seer class.”

Akiara’s shoulders slumped, hopefully with relief, and Saki gave her a half smile.  Not too much, though, she had drawn the attention of most of the room and she didn’t want to fling it back at Akiara.

“Miu too,” Miu said.  “Miu is from Sapporo, and Miu can see Duel Spirits too.”

“Ehhhh how cool!” Nina said.  “What kinda deck??”

“Isn’t that cheating, to ask opponents what their deck is?” Minato grumbled.

“We’re not opponents, we’re classmates!” Nina said.  “I’ve got a dragon deck!”

“What…what kind of dragon deck?” Saki said, blinking.

“Just—dragons!  I like dragons!”

Was she dumb…?  Well, Saki wasn’t gonna push it.

“I have a Buster Blader deck,” Saki said.

Immediately, Nina’s face fell.

“Oh shit,” she said, quickly hugging her Exploder Dragon card to her chest.  “I’d better keep my dragons away from you then!!”

“That’s not an easy deck to put together,” Minato said, considering Saki with suddenly narrow eyes.

Saki pressed her lips together and looked down.  Angel was sitting on the desk beside her, and he flicked his tail against her side.  _Want me to bite them?_ he seemed to be asking.

_No.  No biting._

“Anyway,” Saki said.  “How about you, Morgan-san?  What school did you come from?”

“I transferred from England,” Morgan said, sitting primly on her knees with her hands folded on top of her skirt.  “And my power is—”

“Leave your limbs on, please,” Saki said, noting the way that Morgan was clearly getting ready to pull off her arm.

“Spoilsport,” Morgan said, sniffing.  “Well, anyway…I’m a mixed spirit.  My mother was a duel spirit.”

For a moment, this was met only with silence.  Saki’s heart pulsed in her ears.  She looked quickly down at Angel, curled up beside her.  Morgan’s _mom_ was a duel spirit?  Was that even possible?  How did that happen?

“Ah, me too!” Anani said, her eyes lighting up.  “My father, though.  His name is Sleet, he’s a fairy from the Weathery kingdom.”

That would explain her strange colorlessness, Saki thought.  Although, she had never heard of Weatherys.  Were they a new card?

“I didn’t get to meet my mother,” Morgan said casually.  “She was a zombie, apparently, though.  Which is why I can do this.”

And before anyone could stop her, she popped her arm off of her shoulder again.

“Eeewww,” Taiki said, wrinkling his nose.

Even Anani looked put off again, shifting back into her chair.  Morgan looked incredibly pleased with the expressions around the room before replacing her arm.

“Oh!! Oh!! Me next!” Taro said, leaping up, his ears perked up and his tail wagging.  “My name is Inugawa Taro!  And I _am_ a Duel Spirit!”

Everyone stared at him briefly.

“Well,” Nina said.  “Would explain the ears.”

“Oh,” Miu said, blinking.  “You’re a dog.”

“You _just_ noticed??” said Saki.

“It’s a kinda long story!” Taro said, rubbing the back of his neck.  “Basically, I was running away from some nasty monsters in the spirit world a looooong time ago, and I got lost and hurt and so I turned myself into a baby so I could escape to the human world!”

He bounced on his heels, looking incredibly excited.

“I can’t turn into my real form here anymore, but I can have my ears out finally around you guys, so that’s great!!”

“Um…what _is_ your true form?” Anani asked, sounding curious.

Taro put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest.

“Back home, I am called the great Shiba Warrior Taro!”

 _A shiba_ , Saki said.  _So much makes sense right now._

His tail was still wagging excitedly.

“I’m really happy to meet all of you!” he said, practically bouncing.  “Before now, whenever I told people the truth, they just called me funny names.  Like _chuunibyou._ ”

 _Aaaand to be honest, I can’t blame them,_ Saki thought, smiling awkwardly.

“U-um…is it my turn now?” Taiki asked from the top bunk.

He flushed as all eyes turned towards him, and fumbled for words for a moment.

“M-my name is Hayashi Taiki!  I transferred in from East Tokyo, a-and I’m a magician.”

“Oh?  Magic tricks?” Morgan said, getting a mischievous grin.

“N-not like that!!” Taiki said.  “I…here, have a look.”

He grabbed the stuffed strawberry with a cute face that he had been carrying, and set it on his last.  His whole face screwed up with concentration, hands hovering on either side of the stuffed animal.

Just when Saki thought that nothing was going to happen, the plush toy shuddered.  The next thing she knew, it was hopping off of Taiki’s lap and landing on the ground, bouncing around between all the other students.

“Ooooh,” Hanako said, eyes lighting up.

“I can like…do magic spells kinda?” Taiki said.  “I don’t—really understand it.  Um, that’s why I’m really happy I decided to come here, because now maybe I can learn more!”

For a moment, silence passed through the group.  Saki had just been thinking something similar…everyone here had powers like her.  Powers that before now, she’d had no one to share with, or to learn from about.

But here…

“Why did you decided to come to Duel Academy?” she asked, looking up at Taiki.

Taiki hesitated, lips parting.  He pressed his hands to his lap, squirming his knees together briefly.

“I dunno,” he said.

“I honestly came for the program,” Hanako said.  “I’ve been on a path for dueling since I was a kid.”

“I came because I’m a duel spirit and I love to meet other duel spirits!  There must be a lot around here with so many duelists, right?” Taro said, eyes alight.

“I kinda thought…maybe it was possible to meet someone else like me, somehow,” Anani said quietly.

The room fell silent again.  It wasn’t necessarily an awkward one, though.

“Miu came because Miu thought it would be fun.”

Everyone looked up at Miu, who had barely moved for the entire strange get-to-know-you party.  Nina jumped forward first.

“That,” she said, “is the best reason!  And we’re all going to have a whole lot of fun this year, and next year, and the year after that!!  Right??”

“Right!” Taro said, jumping up.

Saki found herself smiling in spite of herself.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad?  Maybe it would actually be a lot of fun.

“Oh, shit, it’s late!” Nina said.  “We have classes in the morning!  We need to sleep!”

“Who’s idea was all this in the first place?” Hanako teased her.

“Augh!  Someone stop me from having ideas!”

Saki found herself laughing, despite everything and all the commotion.

“Okay, great, party’s over,” she said, standing off the desk and cracking her knees.  “Ueno-chan and I want to get some sleep.”

Slowly, one at a time, everyone filtered off through the door to bed.  Nina tried to climb back out through the window, but Anani grabbed her by the elbow and dragged out outside.  Saki waited until almost everyone was gone, hanging out at the door.  She looked back to see if everyone had left, and then Minato was there, pausing in the door way.  They looked at her with half closed eyes, shadowed under the brim of their cap, considering her.

“Uh…what?” she said.

Minato shrugged.

“It was a pretty good thing you did back there.  Helping Tanaka-san out, I mean.”

“Huh?” Saki said.  She had almost forgotten.  “Oh, well…I hope she doesn’t think I was speaking over her.”

“She didn’t.  She never thinks like that.”

Saki hesitated.

“Do you guys know each other?”

Minato shrugged.

“Same school.”

“Oh.  That makes sense.”

They hung there for a moment in a strange, awkward silence.  Minato seemed like they wanted to ask Saki something.

But then they just shrugged.

“See you tomorrow, I guess.”

“Right,” Saki said.  Minato was almost out the door before Saki stepped forward, gripping the door frame.  “H-hey, Fujita-san!”

Minato hesitated, looking over their shoulder.

“Um…you didn’t introduce yourself.  What is your class, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Minato stared at her for a moment.

“I do mind,” they said.  And without another word, they turned and walked away.

Well…that could have gone worse, she supposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to kinda fiddle with this prompt to make it work with the fic, but I think i managed! But as for the true answer, why did i personally start watching GX? It kinda boils down to Miu's answer: i thought it would be fun! I used to be a massive DM elitist, and i would make fun of the idea of a Duel School and made fun of Judai all the time...man what a time that was, haha! I eventually decided well, I can't consider myself a true fan unless I at LEAST give the spinoffs just a chance, and i'm very glad that I did, because the spinoffs are lovely and i would never, ever go back <3
> 
> Sorry i've been so behind on this project! honestly it was kind of a spur of the moment decision to write this at all when GX month arrived and I realized I wanted to do this, and it coincided with getting a new job, so I haven't had as much time!
> 
> anyway, i'm glad to have a chance to better introduce these OCs to you, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy their adventures as I get around to updating! thank you so much for your support already, i'm honestly absolutely tickled to find that so many people are interested! I thought I'd get maybe one or two readers at most on an OC-centric fic and you guys blew me away <3 thank you so much!


	4. Meeting the Class! The Third-Years Are Annoying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the revelation that their dorm is for kids like them with powers, it's time to finally meet the rest of the dorm, and figure out a little bit more about the dorm and its teachers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Favorite Character

Miu’s jacket was too big.  That was okay, though.  Miu liked the feeling of too long sleeves draped over her fingers.

Mewfeille draped over her shoulder as Miu hopped down the last steps, trotting after Saki.  Saki-chan was always in a hurry, Miu thought.  Miu yawned.  Being in a hurry was so much effort, though.  Well, she supposed they _were_ nearly late for their first class.  The schedule said that today’s agenda was a pretty easy one.  Just visiting with all the teachers and things, finding out where classrooms were.  Saki had the map in her hands, and kept looking up and down from it as they ran along.  Miu supposed she should keep up, or she might get lost.

“This is where dorm homeroom is?”

Saki sounded surprised as they pushed through the copse of trees, and found themselves on a cliff bluff overlooking the ocean.  A nice, salty breeze tickled through Miu’s hair.  She closed her eyes, and heard Mewfeille sigh too.  This was nice.  Probably a nice place to take a cat nap, right in the sun there.

She would have curled up right then if Saki-chan hadn’t grabbed her hand, practically dragging her off to the side.

“I-I see some of the others down there,” Saki said.  “Let’s go!”

Aw.  Miu had really wanted that nap.

She flapped along on the end of Saki’s grip, while Saki led them to a thin trail along the cliff face.  They made their way down until they reached the sand.  Ew.  Sand was so slippery and stuff.  Miu wrinkled her nose and extracted her hand from Saki’s, so that she could move across the sand carefully.  It would get all over her if she wasn’t careful.  And then it would be itchy.

The teachers were already over near the water with most of the other students.  Miu recognized a lot of them from the party thing last night, but there were enough that she didn’t know.

It was one that she didn’t know that rocketed over to them, spraying her and Saki with sand.  Miu immediately decided that she did not like this person.

“Hello, hello, you two must be the last two first-years, right??  Gosh, I’m so excited to meet you!  What class are you??  Please tell me you’re magicians or alchemists, we need more people in our unit so baaaaaad!”

She was much taller than Saki, and Saki was taller than Miu, so this girl looked like a giant.  She was a willowy sort of person, a little too skinny, almost, her hands flapping around with excitement and making the long black ponytail over her shoulder flop around.  Her glasses were slipping down her face, shaggy bangs almost getting into her sparkling green eyes.

“Oh, I—uh,” Saki fumbled.  “Sorry, we’re, uh, we’re both spirit seers.”

The girl’s face fell.  But then she was all smiles again.

“Awww darn, that’s too bad!  But that’s okay, your unit usually pairs up with ours so that’s still a win for us!  I’m Nishimura Saya, and I’m a third-year, which means I’m your senpai!”

“N-nice to meet you,” Saki said.

Miu just hmphed.  She wasn’t going to forget about being sprayed with sand.  Not right now, anyway.

“Saya-chan, let them breathe,” Johan Andersen called.  “We need to get started; you all don’t have too much time before you need to get up to the main campus for the rest of your class introductions.”

“Okay,  yes sir!” Saya said, turning around and saluting. “I’ll see you guys in unit!”

“Unit?” Saki echoed, looking at Miu.  Miu shrugged.  She didn’t know either.

“Yamaguchi-san, Ueno-san, go ahead and join the first-years,” Johan said, smiling.

Saki flushed for some reason, and nodded before trotting towards the milling group of first-years.  Miu followed.

Nina grinned widely at them.

“Sleepy-heads, huh?” she said.  “Well, you’re not too late, so I’ll let you off the hook for now.”

“Off the hook for what?” Saki said.

Johan clapped his hands, and everyone turned up towards him.

“All right,” Johan said.  “So, normally, you would be having homeroom at this time.  Due to the nature of our dorm, however…you guys will have your own Osiris homeroom.”

He nodded towards Yuki Judai, and the other man took a step forward.

“All of you have your own unique powers, but there are certain classes of powers,” he said.  “So we’ve done our best to sort you guys into groups with people who have similar abilities.  For homeroom times, you guys will be meeting up with your unit, and you’ll have a specific teacher for each unit.”

“Sensei!  Sensei!”

The girl called Saya thrust her hand into the air.  Judai made a sort of grimacing smile.

“Yes, Nishimura-chan?”

“Please tell me you have more people for our unit this year!” she said.

“I’m getting to that,” Judai said.  “Calm down.”

Saya put her hand back down, but she continued to bounce on her heels.

“Unfortunately, two of our teachers for two of the four units aren’t in yet,” Judai said, looking a bit miffed.  “So Units One and Two will both be with Johan, and Units Three and Four will be with me.”

Johan held up his clipboard, flipping the top sheet off.

“If the second- and third-years who know how this works could get into your groups, I’m going to start sending the first-years your way.”

There was a brief commotion as the groups of older students quickly got into four little clumps.

“Hayashi Taiki, you’re in Unit Two,” Johan said.

“YES!!”

Saya leaped into the air with her hands up.  Taiki sent the others a nervous sort of glance, and very slowly made his way over to Saya’s group.

“Inugawa Taro, Unit Four.  Kawaguchi Hanako, Unit One.  Anani Ivanova, Unit Four.  Nina Orlando, Unit Three.  Morgan Smith, Four.  Tanaka Akiara, Three.”

The group of first-years slowly dispersed off towards their groups as the older students raised their hands to show the named first-years where to go.  Soon, only Miu and Saki were left.

“And Ueno Miu, Yamaguchi Saki, you’re both in One,” Johan said, flipping his paper back over onto the clipboard.  “Okay, I’ll give you all a few minutes to introduce yourselves, and then, units one and two come over with me, three and four over by Judai.”

Saki looked nervous, like always.  Miu was just glad that she wasn’t in the same unit as the sand sprayer.

She wandered over towards unit one with Saki.  Besides Hanako-chan, who had also been sorted over here, there were four others. 

“Hey there, welcome,” said an older both with blond hair, smiling.

“Welcome to the _best unit_ ,” a short, chubby girl said, grinning widely.  “Name’s Xun Jian!  I’m a second-year, and I’m a spirit seer.  By the way, I love your cat friend.”

She pointed towards Mewfeille.  Miu smiled.  Yes, this was much better than being with the sand sprayer.

“I’m Yamaguchi Saki, and this is Ueno Miu,” Saki said quickly.  Nervous and anxious to please, Miu thought.  “A-and…and this is Angel.  Or, well, Buster Whelp of the Destruction Swordsmaster, b-but that’s a mouthful.”

She pointed to her spirit partner at her feet, and the others all looked.  Hanako and one of the three looked vaguely uncertain, and Miu thought that the other one must be like Hanako-chan—an oracle, not a spirit seer.

“This is Mewfeille,” Miu said.

“He’s adorable!” Jian said, her eyes lighting up.

Jian was barely taller than Miu, a short and chubby girl with a pleasingly round face and a flat nose.  She had big, dark brown eyes and her short, very dark purple hair was in two messy buns, a bit of bang left to hang around her face.  She had a big tool belt around her waist beneath her jacket.

“My partner should be around here…” she said, looking around.  “Ah!  There they are.”

Miu looked around, and then followed Jian’s gaze.  Immediately, the strange creature swooped down and hovered over Jian’s shoulder, making strange clicking sounds.  It looked like someone had glued two gears together, with more red and green gears in between and googly eyes pasted to the front, and long, comical arms pasted to the sides. 

“This is Geargiano,” Jian said.  “But I call ‘em George.”

“Hi George,” Miu said, bowing politely.  Mewfeille meowed back.

“I’m Elias Thorn,” the tall boy with the blond hair said, smiling.  “I’m the only third year in the unit, so that makes me the Ultra Senpai.”

“Does not,” Jian said, smacking him slightly.  Elias laughed.  He had a very nice face, Miu thought.  It was a squareish, happy face, slightly golden with sun-tan.  He seemed to be on the verge of growing a pale beard, but it hadn’t quite come in yet.

“I’m a spirit seer, as well.  My partner is Ljosalf of the Nordic Alfar.  You can call him Salfie.”

The spirit faded into existence on his shoulder.  It looked like a tiny, pale blue person with a long, bumpy tail that ended in a fluffy tuft, and very fluffy hair the same color as its skin.  Flat, round red eyes blinked at Miu.

“Hi, Salfie,” Miu said, bowing to him too.

The other two hadn’t introduced themselves yet, so Miu turned towards them.

The first of the two second years was of average height, but too skinny, her skin so pale that she almost looked see through.  Stringy blond hair lay limply down her back and into her dark eyes, lined with heavy dark bags.  She looked a little creepy, Miu thought.  At her side, a tiny girl that must be her spirit partner hovered, sitting on top of a black scythe like it was a broomstick and she was a witch.  She was dressed in a ragged white kimono with pale lavender hair in messy pigtails, chunky-cut bangs falling over her pal face.

Miu tilted her head at the girl, wondering if she should say something first.

The girl and her spirit partner both tilted their head back almost at the exact same time, like a mirror.  Miu blinked, and frowned.  The girl and her spirit partner also blinked and frowned.

“Oy, Reina, don’t scare off the newbies,” Jian said, clapping the girl on the waist.  “Y’all, this is Togo Reina.  She doesn’t talk much.

“She doesn’t talk much,” Reina repeated, nodding.

Saki looked nervous, but Miu just nodded.

“Okay,” she said.  “Who’s your friend?”

“Oh, that’s Ghost Reaper and Winter Cherries,” Jian said. “We call her Winter, mostly.”

“We call her Winter, mostly,” Reina repeated.

Saki looked quickly at Miu, but Miu just shrugged at her.

“And don’t be shy, dude, introduce yourself,” Jian said, grabbing the elbow of the last second-year.

They flushed as they were pulled forward—they were the tallest of the group, with a long, thin face, and thin dark eyes, perfect eyebrows arching over their forehead.  They were pale, their long black bangs falling almost over their eyes, the rest of the hair silky down their back and held at the very bottom with a ponytail.

“H-hello,” they said quietly.  “My name is Wen Lin…I’m an oracle.”

“Ah!” Hanako said, eyes lighting up.  “Me too!”

Lin’s small eyes widened, and a tentative smile grew over their face.

“Oh thank goodness,” they breathed. “Thank goodness.  There haven’t been any others in the class besides me.”

“Units One and Two, over here!”

Miu looked up to see Andersen-sensei waving his arm.  Yuki-sensei seemed to have already gathered his group on the other side of the beach.

“That’s our cue!” Jian said.  “Come on, let’s get started.”

Miu trotted across the sand after everyone, ending up at the back of the group because she was trying to walk slowly so she wouldn’t have to feel the sand as much under her feet.

“You guys have a chance to introduce yourselves?” Andersen-sensei said, smiling at them as they approached.  “I see we have a whole retinue of spirit friends this year.”

“It’s exciting!” Saya squealed, hugging a very miffed looking Taiki.  Taiki found Miu’s eyes and mouthed “help” but Miu just shrugged.  What did he expect Miu to do?

“I’m glad to see you’re in as high spirits as always, Saya-chan,” Andersen-sensei laughed.  “All right then…welcome all first-years.  You remember me from last night, I’m sure.  I’m Johan Andersen; you can call me Johan if you’d like.”

Johan-sensei had a better ring to it, Miu decided.  She’d call him that.

“Normally, I’m only in charge of Unit One,” he said.  “Spirit seers and oracles.”

He nodded towards Miu’s side of the group.

“However, the teacher who’s normally in charge of Unit Two, magicians and alchemists, is…unfortunately held up.”

He frowned, looking a little bit annoyed, actually.  Then he was all smiles again.

“So for the time being, you’re with me,” he said.

Saki tentatively raised her hand.  Johan looked up, and smiled, nodding towards her.

“You have a question, Yamaguchi-san?”

“Uh, y-yes, sir,” she said.  “I was just wondering—can you…do you have powers, too?”

Saya jumped in place.

“Ah!  Johan-sensei, you gotta tell everyone your stories again!  It’s a new year!”

“You’ve heard them twice already,” Johan laughed.  “You’d think you’d never heard them before.”

Johan smiled, though, as he turned towards the first-years.

“Yes, I do have powers of my own,” he said.  “I’m technically classed as a spirit seer myself, but you’ll find that those lines begin to blur the more you work with your abilities.”

That small purple rabbit creature from last night appeared and scampered up his shoulder.  There was a faint popping sound, and Miu heard a few gasps.

“I’m sure some of you remember Ruby?” he said.  “I’ve just brought Ruby into the physical realm, so now most of you should be able to see them.”

“Are you a psychic duelist, too?” Taiki piped up.

Johan smiled.

“Again, the lines tend to blur after a while.  These units are mostly just for organizational purposes, and to help you connect with people who have the most similar starting abilities to you.”

He scratched Ruby’s head gently, and the little creature pressed into his hand.  Ruby looked soft, Miu thought.  She wanted to pet it, too.

Mewfeille caught the thought, and scratched at her shoulder gently.

“Don’t be jealous,” she said.  “You’re still my favorite.”

“All right, now let’s just get a few of the housekeeping things out of the way,” Johan said.  “First off, the whole staff here on DA is aware of what happens in Osiris, so you don’t have to worry about any of the staff.  The students…well, that’s up to your own discretion, how much about your powers you want to share.”

“You mean—we’re not a secret?” Saki said, blinking.

“Not an enormous one, at any rate,” Johan said.  “The goal is, of course, to eventually live in a world where it’s normal to live with people who have different abilities.  We try to keep it something on the down low to avoid more trouble, but you won’t be in any trouble if you want to share with friends or classmates.”

“What if they leak something outside of the school?” Taiki said, looking worried.

“Like I said, it’s up to you and how safe you feel,” Johan said.  “We will do everything in our power to make this a safe environment for you guys, and for everyone else at school, too.  We have a lot of high up benefactors who can help us make sure of that.”

He put his hands on his hips and looked out over the students.

“The most important thing for you guys,” he said, “is for you to do your best, and enjoy your high school life.”

That sounded really nice, Miu thought.  Really, really nice.

She raised her hand slowly before she could think better of it.

“Ueno-san?” Johan said, nodding.  “You have a question?”

“Um…Johan-sensei,” she said.  “Why did you become a teacher?”

For a moment, Johan seemed to think about it.  Miu saw Saya bouncing excitedly on her heels.  She was too much, Miu thought.  She’d avoid that senpai.

“When I was younger than you guys,” Johan said, “I first found out that I could see things that a lot of other people couldn’t.  And for that, I ended up having a lot of trouble.

He hooked his thumbs into his pockets, looking up towards the sky in reminiscence.

“I got sent to a lot of doctors because of what I said I could see.  My mother even tried to have an exorcism done on me, thinking I was possessed.  For a long time, except for my monsters, I felt entirely alone.”

He looked back down at the students, and smiled.

“But then I came here,” he said.  “And I found more than one person with powers like mine, or different.  And for the first time, I didn’t feel alone anymore.”

He laughed.

“We made a lot of mistakes, though,” he said.  “So that’s why I came here—because I knew that a lot of kids like me would find their way here, and this time, I’d make sure that they weren’t alone, and had someone to help them figure out what to do after their mistakes.”

The words hung for just a moment, as Miu considered them.  Nice, she thought.  That was really nice.

She liked Johan-sensei.

“You’re so cool, Johan-sensei!” Saya said, punching the air.  “Best teacher!”

“Oy, Saya-chan, if you’re trying to get early brownie points for late assignments, it’s not going to work.”

“Awwwwww.”

Saya’s friends laughed, and Miu even smiled just a little bit.  Even though it was because of the sand sprayer.

Yeah.  She liked Johan-sensei.  And she liked this school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My favorite character is Johan, so I had to give him a spotlight this chapter ;) Johan is such a lovely person, and I really admire his conviction, his cheerfulness, and his devotion to do what's right for everyone. I think he really would be the absolute best teacher ever, like Saya said :)
> 
> Also, isn't Miu an adorable little grudge keeper? XD
> 
> Sorry for the character overload lol!!! I know this is a big cast, and I'm trying my best to make everyone unique and distinguishable. I hope to have some doodles of everyone so that y'all can have an idea of what they look like better, too, and I'll probably link said doodles in a chapter here sometime :)
> 
> Thank you again so much for reading this project!


	5. Angel, No Biting! How Saki and Minato Become Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato really just wants to be left alone, but Saki seems intent on saying hello to them. Maybe Minato will be forced to make friends at this new school after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Hidden Talent

“Stand!  Bow!”

Minato made a brief attempt at pretending to bow, before grabbing their hat and shoving it back on their head.  The teacher this hour had made them take it off, and they were still irritable.

Well, main classes were over, so they could finally get out of this classroom and go back to Osiris.  Hopefully Hanako would stay out for a while, they had seen her chatting with some girls from Ra, so she had hopefully made friends.  If not, Minato would have to find somewhere else quiet to take a nap.

They hurried up the stairs to the door and slipped out, the other students still milling about, chatting or sitting awkwardly.  First day jitters or first day friendships, it was hit or miss as always.  Minato would just get themselves out of there.

“Oh, Fujita-san?”

Minato groaned, looking back over their shoulder.  Well, it could have been worse—it was just that Yamaguchi Saki girl.  Could have been Nina.

“Going back to the dorms already?” she asked, tilting her head.  She was taller than them, and it kind of irked them.  Saki was a pale girl with long black hair, which she had put into a half braid at the bottom today.  Red didn’t really seem like her color, they thought.  It took the color out of her skin.

“Yeah,” they said, shoving their hands in their pockets.  Maybe she would get the message that they wanted to be left alone.

“Don’t you want to look around a bit?  There’s a lot here—you know there’s a card shop on the main floor?”

“I have all the cards I need.”

Saki frowned.  Just…just go away, they thought.  _I don’t want to be friends with you.  Get the hint_.

“Sorry, I guess I’m bothering you,” she said.

_Yes, you are._

“Angel just seemed to like you, so I thought that I would say hello.”

Hm?  Angel?  Minato hesitated.

“Who’s…who’s Angel?”

Saki looked down at nothing on the floor, moving her foot slightly.

“Angel—my spirit partner,” she said.  “Well—at least that crosses off one possibility.  You’re definitely not a spirit seer.”

Minato flushed.  Was she trying to figure out what their power was, like she had tried to ask the day before?

“You would have already known that since I wasn’t in your unit,” they muttered.  “What is your deal?”

Saki clasped her hands behind her back, looking down.

“I dunno, I guess…just, we’re in the same dorm, with the same craziness…and I don’t know.  I guess I just wanted to see if I could get to know you.”

Minato pressed their lips together.  God.

“People like you are annoying,” they said.

Saki’s eyes snapped up to them.

“And what is that supposed to mean?  What kind of people?”

“People like _you_.  Try-hards.  Trying to make sure everyone gets along, checking in on everyone, trying to get to know everyone.”

“What’s wrong with that??”

“It’s fake,” Minato said.  It had been a _long_ day, and they were so tired, and they just wanted to be left alone.  “You can’t keep up with so many people.  But you try anyway, and you don’t really become friends with anyone at all, people just _think_ you’re they’re friend and that’s all that matters, right?  As long as everyone is getting along.”

Saki bristled.

“And what makes you so sure that that’s the kind of person I am?” she demanded. “God, for all you know, I could have just wanted to say hi!  What’s wrong with that?”

“I know because I’ve seen people with your eyes before, over and over and over,” Minato said.  “They perform friendship well but when you really need some help, they have nothing for you, and they leave if you can’t get along or play nice with people that hurt you.”

Minato was aware that they were probably going a little too far, but god, they were just so exhausted.  They didn’t want to deal with this—classes had been so long.  Their brain rushed with too many images and memories, people who had laughed at them in class when they had been asked to take their hat off, the teacher who had looked uncertainly at Minato’s roll call sheet and misgendered them three times, the fact that no one had sat down next to them in class at all and had instead clumped to their stupid little friend groups.

They opened their mouth to snap again—and felt something pinch on their shoulder.

“Ow!”

“Angel!”

Saki grabbed at something that wasn’t there, and Minato gasped as they felt the pinch release.

“I’m so sorry!” Saki said.  “Angel, I said no biting!  No!”

She squirmed with the air, as though there were something like a cat trying to get out of her arms.  It was a little startling, Minato thought, to see someone interact with the air as though someone were performing a really intricate mime act.

“I’m sorry,” Saki said.  “That was my fault.  I was getting upset and Angel thought he had to bite.”

That had been a bite?  From something invisible?

Minato looked down at the ground, hands shoved deeper into their pockets.  They didn’t even feel like they were able to accept her apology—since it was _their_ fault she had been upset.

“I…I went too far,” they mumbled.  “I’m sorry.”

Saki shook her head.

“I pushed,” she said.  “I’m sorry.”

They stood in a brief, awkward silence. Minato wondered if anyone would walk out of the classroom now and see them pointedly not looking at each other.

“You were kind of right, anyways,” Saki said, suddenly.  “That is kind of how I am.  Trying to get along with everyone, make sure no one is fighting…but I guess it’s just because that’s easier for me when everyone is getting along.”

She shrugged as Minato looked up at her.

“And I guess it’s just easier to hide things about yourself if you’re only shallow friends with everyone.”

Minato’s lips parted.

Oh…

Oh, right.  She had powers, too…things that she had to hide from people, for fear of them being afraid or upset with her.  God, Minato really felt like an ass, now.  Their stomach roiled with self-disgust.

“I’m sorry,” they said again.  “I…I shouldn’t have said any of that.”

Saki just shook her head.

“Well, okay, I’ll accept the apology,” she said.  “Only if you accept mine, too though.”

“You didn’t do anything to apologize for,” they said irritably, but Saki glared at them.  They sighed.  “Fine.  Apology also accepted.”

Saki grinned, then, and after shifting the invisible creature back into one arm, she stuck her hand out towards them.

“Anyway, I’m Yamaguchi Saki,” she said.  “And my secret power is that I can see Duel Spirits.”

Minato wasn’t…really alone anymore, were they?  There were other people here after all who could…at least sort of…understand what they had been through.

Smiling felt foreign to them, but they tried a small one anyway.  They reached out and gripped Saki’s hand back—and after a moment of hesitation, sent a spark of their power through their arms.

Briefly, Saki’s spirit partner became visible to them.  It was a big, fluffy creature like a cat—albeit a cat with six legs, huge bat ears, and twisty horns.  The creature called Angel stopping squirming in Saki’s arms, hanging there instead to stare at Minato with huge, dark eyes.  Saki’s eyes widened.

“You’re not see-through,” she said to Angel.  “Hey, did you…?”

Minato released Saki’s hand, and Angel faded out of sight for them again.

“I’m Fujita Minato,” they said.  “And my secret hidden power is that I can make the monsters real.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My little edgelord child, I love Minato ;w; Minato might be my fave of the cast tbh, at least of the first-years. I want them and Saki to be the best of friends!! :D


	6. The Mysterious Dorm! The Third-Years Are Telling Ghost Stories!?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saki and Miu receive an invitation to join the second- and third-years for a sleepover in a very mysterious abandoned dorm. Saki really isn't one for ghost stories though...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Favorite Episode

Saki looked up at the sound of something sliding near the door. Hm? What was that?

She blinked, looking up and down the door…oh! There was an envelope underneath…?

Frowning, Saki got up from her desk, where she had been finishing up the first day’s homework. Just some basic syllabus stuff, nothing hard… She leaned down to pick up the envelope, turning it over. _To the residents of 3-1_ , it read. Saki flipped it back over and slit it open.

“What’s that?”

She looked up. Miu had been taking a nap when Saki got back—did that girl do anything other than sleep?—but she was sitting up now, rubbing at her eyes while peering at Saki.

“I don’t know,” Saki said. She pulled the paper out from inside and unfolded it. It was almost hard to read; the handwriting was so cute and bubbly, and there were so many little smiley animal doodles in between words.

_You have been invited!! To!! The first sleepover of the year!!! Be there or be square, firsties!!!_

It was signed off with a round smiley chibi face with a peace sign, and beneath that was a small map of the campus near Osiris Red, with a building circled in read and surrounded with arrows pointing to it.

Saki jumped when Miu leaned over her arm—she hadn’t even heard the girl walking over. Miu’s eyes actually sparked with interest them.

“Miu likes sleeping,” she said.

“I don’t think people do much sleeping at sleepovers,” Saki said.

Miu blinked.

“Then why is it called that?”

“I dunno—seriously, do you like anything other than sleeping??”

Miu blinked. Was she actually having to think about it??

“Cake,” she said. “Miu also likes cake.”

Saki rolled her eyes. What a weird roommate she had.

“Well…I don’t think I’m going to go,” she said. “We have school tomorrow! It’s only been one day…geez.”

She was just making to toss the envelope into the recycling bin when the door burst open.

“Did you get one??” Nina demanded, waving her own envelope into the air. “Are you coming??”

“What? No!” Saki said. “We have homework!”

“Homework schmomework! We gotta go! Or we’re gonna turn into squares!”

“That’s—that’s not what that means.”

Nina grabbed Saki’s elbow before she could protest.

“We gotta! Come on, you square! You too, Miu-chan!”

Miu just shrugged, and trotted after Saki as she was dragged outside, protesting. Angel leaped onto her shoulder, settling in for the ride.

Saki was surprised to see Minato standing with the handful of first-years outside.

“You’re coming?” she said, blinking.

They shrugged, looking actually embarrassed. After a beat, once Nina had let go of Saki and darted off somewhere else, they leaned in conspiratorially.

“Nina threatened to put a mushy avocado in my desk every day for the rest of the year,” they grumbled.

Saki bit down on a snort, and Minato glared at her. But then they shrugged, leaning back.

“Well, and also, it seems like it’s going to be in that old honors dorm…I kinda wanted to check it out soon anyway.”

“Old honors dorm?” Saki said.

“Ooohhh,” Morgan said, turning around towards them. “Really? I’ve heard of that place. Spooky stuff…”

Saki’s heart jumped.

“I don’t—I don’t really like spooky stuff,” she said. “Um...ghosts make me queasy.”

“You see Duel Spirits though,” Minato said, blinking.

“That’s _way_ different than ghosts.”

Somehow, though, she didn’t end up having much of a choice, as Nina and Taro took control once again and herded everyone off into the darkening woods.

Oooh, and it was worse than she thought, her stomach flip flopping as they came into view of the old dorm. It loomed high over them, a broken gate hanging along the side of an overgrown path. Windows without glass yawned darkly out at the world, the wind picking at curtains still hanging ragged inside. The door was hanging off its hinge, and it creaked slightly by itself. Saki squeaked, grabbing for the nearest thing—which just so happened to Minato’s arm. Minato jumped, flushing as they looked at her. Her face heated, and she immediately let go, grabbed for Miu’s hand instead.

“Let’s just go back, huh, Ueno-chan?” she said. “Um…you probably won’t get to sleep much if we’re here, so you can take a nap when we get back?”

“Miu wants to see what it looks like inside,” Miu said, looking actually curious.

 _Traitor!!_ Saki thought. _U-ugh, but I can’t walk back through the dark woods all by myself…_

“Hey,” Minato started, reaching towards her.

And then a light turned on in the forest next to them and all Saki saw for a moment was a pale, leering face—

Saki screamed. Another few screams rang out from the group as Saki caught her heel on a root and went tumbling to the ground.

The light swung up and down and a raucous laugh burst from the trees.

“My god!” Nishimura Saya laughed, clutching her stomach with one arm and swinging the flashlight in the other. “What a great reaction!! Omg…I wish I had had a camera for that.”

Saki felt so red that her ears were hot.

“That was _mean_ ,” Minato snapped. Saki realized then that Minato was kneeling next to her, their hands on her shoulders. “What the fuck!!”

Saya wiped one tear from her eye.

“S-sorry, sorry…it’s tradition though, you know? Gotta scare the firsties!!”

“That’s called hazing,” Hanako said, looking shaken. She must have been one of the other screamers. Anani gripped her hand, also looking like she was about to pass out.

“Sorry, sorry, really!” Saya said, suddenly looking a little embarrassed. She tucked the flashlight under her arm and pressed her hands together, bowing. “I just—god, though, it was kinda funny.”

“That was fun!” Taro said, throwing his hands into the air. “Can we do it again?”

Saya laughed.

“If you like spooks, there’s more of those inside,” she said, pointing into the dorm. “But no, for real, I promise, no more jump scares—just ghostie stories.”

She grinned widely, her teeth flashing. Saki’s heart hadn’t slowed down yet.

“Can I go back now?”

Somehow, though, that didn’t happen, and she found herself disappearing inside the dorm with the others.

“I’ll walk back with you,” Minato said.

“N-no, it’s okay…you wanted to see this, right?”

Minato frowned, but they didn’t offer again. Angel pushed up reassuringly against Saki’s face.

_If anything attacks, I’ll bite them._

She almost laughed. She didn’t think Angel would do very well against a bonafide ghost, but she appreciated the sentiment.

There were some other older students waiting in the lobby, some sitting on the stairs at the other end of the room, others on the floor or standing off to the side. It definitely wasn’t all of them though, so maybe not everyone was here.

“Okay! We got all the firsties, is everyone else here?” Saya said.

“We’re missing Reina, Lindbloom, Hibike, the twins, Elias, Ren, and Isamu,” rattled off a girl that Saki recognized as Jian from yesterday. “So, no. Still waiting, I guess.”

“No we’re not, cause those are the ones I gave the wrong time and date to,” Saya said.

“Saya!”

A tall, large girl with ridiculously bushy red pigtails put her hands on her hips, pouting with perfect lips. She looked like a model, Saki thought, feeling a blush creep over her cheeks. She was really pretty.

“That’s over half our own class of third-years! How could you?” she said.

“Listen, Elias is a nerd, and he said no, he’s studying for entrance exams. Isamu-kun, Lind-chan, and Ren-kun are stick in the muds, they’d ruin all our fun. The twins would prooobably do worse spooks than I just did, and considering how much the firsties didn’t like my spook, they’d hate that even more.”

She paled slightly then.

“And…let me just remind you what Reina and Hibike did _last_ year we had a sleepover out here.”

A thick, stout girl standing next to the pigtail girl, with goggles plastered over her eyes, nodded. She had pigtails of her own, but they were just tiny floofs right at the top of her head, lavender in color.

“Fair enough,” she said, shuddering. “I still think I see Daruma-san in the mirror sometimes ya know?”

“Doooon’t even say the name,” Saya said, waving her hand. “Anyway! Who wants to meet some senpais!!

She bounced on her heels.

“I’m Nishimura Saya, third-year! I’m in the alchemist class.”

She jabbed her finger at pigtails girl.

“Maristella Acquati, third-year! She’s mixed spirit class.”

She waved a hand like a model. Saya swung her finger towards the stout girl next to her.

“Mizushima Kotone! Third-year psychic duelist!!”

Kotone just saluted with two fingers.

“Wen Lin and Xun Jian!” Saya said, and Saki nodded—she remembered them from the unit sorting this morning.

“Aaaand Mostyn Nakahara—oh geez, Moss, where'd ya go?”

Saya had swung her finger to the next person, except, well, there wasn't a person there, just an empty space. Saki immediately flinched, looking around for some sign of a jump scare.

“What? I'm right here,” a voice said out of nowhere.

Saki almost screamed right there. A ghost!! Did this school have ghosts for students, too??

“Moss, you've gone invisible again,” Saya said.

“What?? When?? Why didn't anyone tell me?”

Saki grabbed hold of Miu's hand automatically when the person appeared. He was the tallest of all the students, but his body didn't seem to have quite matched up with him even so—his arms and legs seemed just a little too long and gangly, his face a bit sharp as though he hadn't quite figure out what shape it was supposed to be yet. He had a fair, freckled face, and small glasses perched on his nose in front of his immensely blue eyes, curly blond hair dusting over his head.

He waved, looking a bit chagrined. Although, his hands weren't exactly...normal, Saki thought. They were way too big, and kind of purple, with little bumps all over them. Was he wearing...gloves? Halloween gloves?

“Hi,” he said. “I'm mixed spirit class too. That's why I, uh...sometimes I forget when I'm invisible.”

“Hands, Moss,” Saya said.

Mostyn blinked, and looked at his hand still in the air from waving. He swore faintly, and shook it out. When he finished shaking, his hand was a normal size and shape again.

“And I forget when that happens, too,” he said. “Don't be freaked out if my face shapeshifts somewhere in the middle of a conversation.”

“I live with Anani, so I know about that kinda thing already!” Nina said, throwing her hand up in the air. “Can you turn yourself into anything??”

Saya, however, clapped her hands.

“You guys can make friends later! Right now we have to get to the major order of business!!”

She clicked the flashlight on under her face and grinned, looking eerie.

“Ghostie stories,” she said, waving her fingers. “Oooooo!”

“Oh come on, Saya, you just do the same thing every year,” Maristella groaned, examining her nails.

“Don't be like that, you know you love it,” Saya said, grinning so that her teeth glowed in the flashlight. “You're always the one listening the most intently.”

“A-am not,” Maristella grumbled.

Saya flopped herself sitting down—right in the path of the doorway, Saki thought. So...no leaving until Saya was done with her mission of telling a story. She wondered if anyone would notice her putting her fingers in her ears.

Saya patted the ground.

“Come on, firsties, this is an epic tale that you're gonna wanna hear—it's got a warning in it so that you know what to avoid at school.”

“A warning? For what?” Minato said, raising an eyebrow.

“There be many old and dangerous things on this island,” Saya said, putting a finger to her nose. “And there are ways that you must learn to combat them.”

Minato rolled their eyes, but Saki could see the sudden interest on their face. Oh nooo. Was she the only one freaked out? Even Miu wasn't looking very sleepy, and just watching Saya with a faint interest.

Saki almost jumped when she felt a hand grip hers, but she looked down to find that it was only Hanako. She looked faint, lips pressed together. They met eyes for a brief moment, and then nodded. A silent, mutual understanding, Saki thought. Neither of them wanted to hear this, or be here...

Saki sat down in the circle as the others slowly started plopping to the ground, still gripping Hanako's hand. Hanako bowed her head so that her bangs fell over her eyes, and Saki kind of wanted to as well. But not being able to see the house around her was almost a little worse, so she keep her eyes open so she could...make sure she saw any spooky jump scares coming. Saya's assurances aside, there were a lot of third- and second-years not here, and Saki wouldn't put it past them to be hiding away, waiting for the time to jump out.

Saya waited, bouncing in her seat as everyone took their seats in a loose circle. She bit her lip with the excitement, the flashlight jiggling in her hands.

“All right,” she said, taking on a spooky tone of voice. “Now...most of you know that this school is not very old. Only a few decades, at most...but in its short lifespan, it's become haunted.”

She grinned, her teeth glowing again. Saki gripped Hanako's hand tighter.

“Why...the very dorm we sit in was once the home to dark and dangerous experiments,” she said, wiggling her fingers. “You can still see it in the basement...the scratches on the walls, of demons they summoned through dark and bloody rituals.”

In _this_ dorm?? Saki felt faint. What were they doing in here then, tempting fate??

“Students would go missing for days...weeks...even years,” Saya said, her voice getting low. Forcing people to lean in to hear. “But you know what was the spookiest day...? When the _entire school_ disappeared.”

She grinned widely. Saki's heart thrummed. The entire school?

“Not just the students, no,” Saki said. “But the whole school—scooped up out of the ground in a single flash of light—gone. Vanished. Poof.”

“People would have heard of something like that,” Minato scoffed softly. “The news wouldn't have passed up on that.”

“Wouldn't they have?” Saya said, mischievous. “After all, this school is owned by one of the most powerful people in the world...don't you think it'd be child's play to hide it?”

“B-but then what happened to everyone?” Anani squeaked. “S-surely, if everyone was gone forever...it couldn't have been kept quiet...”

“Ah, the school did indeed return,” Saya said, putting a finger to her nose. “But after that everything...and everyone...was _different_. They wouldn't say where they had been...some didn't even remember the event had occurred.”

Saki felt cold. This couldn't be real, right? It was just something the seniors did to scare the juniors. Yeah...yeah just...hazing. That was it.

“And some say that something came back with them,” Saya said in a hushed tone. “Something dark, and dangerous. Something made entirely of shadow.”

She wasn't really grinning anymore, she was just leaning in, looking dark and serious.

“They say that it was a student once...a student who got left behind. A student that, when their friends found them, they were horrified to see what they had become, and tried to banish it away...but it couldn't be banished. Not forever.”

She pointed towards the stairs, and everyone, raptly attentive, looked where she was pointing. Saki half expected to see someone standing there, ready to spook them—but there was no one there, and that was almost worse.

“They say that it's the echo of a student who didn't come back,” she said. “Or at least...the part of the student that got left behind. And sometimes, sometimes...you can hear it. Hear the clank, clank, clank of the armor walking by itself, nothing but shadows in the helm...looking for the body that once possessed it.”

This was going to be a scare, right? This was where the ghost story scare always came in—someone in the back making the sound of clanking and then someone jumping out to scare them.

But nothing happened. They were all just staring up the stairs at nothing.

It was so, so much worse than any jump scare.

The door cracked as it fell off its hinges, slamming to the floor. Saki _screamed_ , gripping Hanako's hand so tightly that she thought the two of them would break each other's hands, Minato swore as they staggered to their feet, Miu squeaked and went as pale as her hair, and even Saya yelped, clapping her hands to her mouth.

“What the...oh, god _dammit_ , Saya! _Again_??”

There wasn't any ghost standing in the broken doorway. Just...just Yuki-sensei. He was barely more than a silhouette in the moonlight, his hands on his hips as he glared inside.

“Oh, it's just you, Judai-sensei,” Saya said, clutching her hand to her chest. “And—hey! Why single me out!”

“Because it's always you,” Yuki-sensei said, running his hand through his hair. “I told you guys last time! This place isn't structurally sound anymore, and there are all sorts of confused spirits that get trapped in the basement from all the dimension rips! It's not safe.”

“You mean there are ACTUAL ghosts?” Anani practically screamed.

“And you've been telling them ghost stories again??”

Saya tried to look innocent, poking one finger against her cheek. Yuki-sensei groaned.

“Okay, kids, everyone, back to bed, okay?” he said. “And when I said spirits, I meant duel spirits, guys. Real ghosts are very, very rare, and more annoying than they are dangerous.”

He glared pointedly towards the ground, but the only thing there was a very fat looking cat, who had sat itself down beside Yuki-sensei, yawning.

“Let's go, okay?” he said, clapping his hands. “You all have classes tomorrow! No, not you, Saya, you stay put for a moment.”

“I'm in trouble,” Saya giggled behind her hand at the others.

Saki was more than happy to scramble to her feet and put this creepy place behind her—Yuki-sensei's reassurances were...okay, but she still didn't trust this place.

Due to the knot of students all trying to get out through the door at once, Saki found herself towards the back, her hand finally slipping out of Hanako's. She hurried to keep up with the group—she didn't want to get left behind in the dark woods, not after that!! She hefted Angel into her arms and stepped out the door.

But behind her...

“Saya, I've told you...stop spreading rumors like that.”

“Yessir.”

“Don't—don't do that with me, Saya. You know better than anyone else why you shouldn't. It's not something...not something you should joke about.”

Saki hesitated, glancing over her shoulder. She could just barely see Saya-senpai, standing in the doorway and facing Yuki-sensei, the pair of them squaring off. Saya was smiling innocently, while Yuki-sensei just looked...tired.

Saya tilted her head, smiling again.

“Don't I have more right than anyone else to make jokes about it, though?”

Yuki-sensei's lips parted, and for a moment, Saki thought she saw...sadness? But then she realized she was eavesdropping, and the rest of the class was getting farther away. It wasn't important, she thought, and she hugged Angel as she ran to catch up with the others.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so like the others I had to reallyyyyy bend this prompt loooool
> 
> if you didn't catch it, my fave episode is probably the one where Jim and O'Brien find out that Judai is the Supreme King. IT was just...very emotional for me. It was a powerful and intense moment that hit home, seeing your dear friend that you thought was dead turn out to be the one responsible for everything bad happening, and it really set the mood for that moodswing in season 3.
> 
> Also...wonder what's going on with Saya, huh? She might have some skeletons in her closet that she's hiding behind that cheerful face after all.
> 
> P.S.: it is weird as FUCK to call Judai "Yuki-sensei"


	7. Riddle Game! The Reason for Akiara's Nerves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unit Three's adviser finally arrives, but Akiara just wants to stay home and avoid the inevitable fear of her classmates. The second-years migh thave some other ideas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Anime or Manga?

Akiara shoved her head under her pillow and wondered if it was okay to be sick on the second day of school.

She heard the very soft rustle and clumping of Morgan walking around the room—she was up early.  She had been up early the day before, too.  It seemed like Morgan was an early riser.  Akiara had peeked out from under the pillow the day before, and seen her sitting at her desk, peering at a small handmirror while she carefully applied eyeliner and mascara.  Akiara had pretended to be asleep when Morgan looked back, hoping that her roommate wouldn't try to wake her up or anything.  She flinched once when Morgan walked past the bed, but she was only reaching up to her bunk to grab something.

Akiara waited with bated breath for Morgan to finish her prolonged routine, applying her makeup, curling her pigtails and settling her bangs, and getting dressed in her highly modified uniform: really, were...were they even allowed to wear non-issued skirts like that?  It was so puffy.  Her buckle up shoes didn't look like standard uniform issue, either.

Finally, though, Morgan was slipping quietly out the door, closing it behind her.  Akiara did not sit up until after she heard the lock click.  She sighed.  Alone...finally.

She sat in bed for a few more moments, wondering if she could get away with skipping school so early in the year.  Would her teachers even notice she was gone?  Well...the Osiris teachers might, the group was small enough.  Oh geez...she really didn't want to go.

She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes.  She...she couldn't skip.  If she did, someone would notice, and she'd stick out again, and she didn't want to...

Akiara got up shakily.  It didn't take her nearly as long to get ready as it did Morgan.  She put her uniform on, the standard issue one with the red blouse and white skirt.  She had picked that one because she thought it was the most common one, but now that she saw her class, it seemed that a large chunk of her female classmates had gone for the jacket instead of the generic girl's uniform.  Just another way she stood out...oh, geez.

She quickly brushed her short hair, trying in vain to get the bangs out of her eyes.  She hesitated with her hand over her deck box then, frowning.  Her hand was shaking...

“Okay,” she whispered.  “J-just keep quiet, Akiara.  You can do it...”

She swallowed thickly.  Then she grabbed her deck box, clipped it to her belt, and hurried outside.  Yuki-sensei had told them that they were meeting at the beach again today.  At least the classes for Osiris were outside.  That was way less stressful than being trapped in a classroom, stuck in her seat in the middle of the row so that she couldn’t come late, or leave early, without everyone noticing as she tried to sneak behind the chairs of the other students.

Sunshine poured down from the bright blue sky, sending dappled light through the trees as she hurried along the path towards Osiris dorm classes.  She wondered how today was going to be.  Her fellow classmates in her unit were a little frightening.  Some of them, like Minato, were surly and irritable, and she was sure she was going to make them angry at her.  Some of them, like Nina were just too loud and excited and she was positive that Nina was going to try and get her involved with the class and then probably laugh at her when she couldn’t get her words to work.

And then some of them were just…frightening.

“Ah, there she is.”

“You’re gonna be late, firstie.”

Akiara squeaked.  She hadn’t even heard them!  The twins appeared on either side of her almost out of nowhere.  They were in her unit, she remembered them from yesterday: second years, Ji-U and Eun.  Both of them were eerily pretty, as though they had just walked out of the pages of a book about the faerie courts: tall, elongated, and pale, with skin as smooth as white steel.  They looked almost exactly identical, with identical large, almost-black blue eyes, and shining platinum-blue hair that fell past their waists.  One of them had braids in the front of their hair, and the other had twisted part of their hair in a sort of circlet weaving to the back in a ponytail that laid on top of the rest of the hair.  Akiara couldn’t for the life of her remember which was which, though.

“U-um, sorry,” she said, not sure how else to respond.

The twins grinned at each other from either side of Akiara, and Akiara withered.  Oh no…why had they noticed her?  They were probably going to play jokes on her or something.  She resisted the urge to try and hide her face in her hands.

“Hey, since all three of us are going to be late at this rate,” one of them said.  Ji-U, maybe?  “Why don’t we play a game?”

 “U-um, I don’t know,” Akiara said.  “I mean, we’re almost there.”

“We have some time, right?” one of the twins said.  “And we can play while we walk.  It’s a riddle game.”

“We take turns asking one riddle.  Whoever gets the least number of riddles right loses.”

That wasn’t really fair, Akiara thought.  They probably both knew each other’s riddles really well, and Akiara wasn’t good at that kind of game.  She would barely be able to come up with her own riddle on the spot!  So they’d definitely win…

“Do you want to play, or not?”

Oh no, no, no…she really didn’t, but she didn’t really have a choice…b-but what would happen if she lost?

“There you are.  I was just about to send out a search party.”

Akiara squeaked, jumping as a woman rounded the bend.  The woman was much taller than the three of them, her arms crossed over her chest.  She was wearing the red of Osiris Dorm, but it wasn’t like the standard issue uniform: it was a long jacket with coat tails that fell past her knees, brushing the tops of her tall boots.  That was a teacher’s uniform, right?  But Akiara had never seen one in Osiris colors.  Long, silky black hair ran down her back, and quick brown eyes looked over the three of them.

“Good morning, Hibiki-sensei,” Ji-U and Eun said in unison.

“Were you bullying the first-years?” the teacher asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course not, Hibiki-sensei.”

“Hm.  Well, get along to class, you three.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Ji-U and Eun scurried off—but not before one of the pair, Eun, maybe, touched Akiara’s shoulder.

“Let’s play a game later, okay?” she said quietly.

Oh noo…Akiara thought as they scurried off.  Somehow she had caught their attention…oh no no no.

The teacher, however, hesitated, tilting her head at Akiara.

“Are you all right?” she said.  “You look pale.  Do you need to go to the nurse’s office?”

There it was—an out, Akiara thought.  All she had to do was say yes, and she could go disappear and not come back to class.  Oh, but then everyone would remember her as the student who was gone on day two.  She just wanted to disappear.  Why did she come to this school anyway?

“No, ma’am,” she squeaked in the end.

The woman frowned.

“They weren’t bothering you, were they?  They can be…interesting.”

“N-no, ma’am, they weren’t,” Akiara said. Oh no, she couldn’t be known as a tattletale!!

“All right…well you let me know.  Their pranks can sometimes get more upsetting than they realize.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The woman nodded her head towards the path.

“Well, let’s not keep everyone waiting.”

“R-right!!” Akiara said.  Oh no, if she walked in with a teacher…

The woman started walking, and desperate not to be left behind, Akiara caught up.

They reached the beach, and Akiara hopped off to hide at the back of the group, hoping that no one would ask her what was wrong.

“Are you okay?”

Oh no…

Anani Ivanov leaned down, as though trying to see under Akiara’s bangs.  Akiara threw her hands up.

“N-no, I’m fine,” she said.  “Promise!”

Anani frowned, and Akiara wondered if she was going to get mad.  But she didn’t say anything, she just nodded quietly, and leaned back to face forward.

“All right, all right, settle down!” Yuki-sensei called out over the bubble of conversation.  “Unit Three, I’ve got good news for you—your teacher is finally here.  Go ahead and introduce yourself.”

He waved forward, and the woman Akiara had met before nodded.

“I’m Hibiki Midori,” she said.  “Apologies for my absence yesterday; I had a family emergency.  In the Osiris dorm, I will be the head of Unit Three.  As I’m sure you’ll all want to know, my own personal classification is shadow gamer.”

Akiara twisted her hands into her sweater.  O-oh…like her.

The twins both shot their hands into the air.

“Hibiki-sensei, Hibiki-sensei,” they chorused.  “Have you ever killed anyone in a shadow game?”

Akiara’s stomach dropped out.  Y-you could do that?  Hibiki-sensei grimaced.

“My answer hasn’t changed since last year, girls.  No I have not.  And that is not as easy as you all seem to think it is.”

She sighed.

“Either way, I’ll also be a history teacher on the main campus for some of you, so I look forward to getting to know you all better.”

Andersen-sensei clapped his hands.

“All right, housekeeping is out of the way…Units One and Two, you’re still with me until your teacher gets here.  Unit Three, you can go with Hibiki-sensei today.”

Akiara’s unit started to filter off towards Hibiki-sensei.  Before Akiara could go, too, though, Anani reached towards her.

“Hey, if you feel sick…please don’t push yourself, okay?” she said, looking worried.

Akiara ducked her head.  Why was she paying so much attention to her??

“Okay,” was all she said, and she hurried off before Anani could press her.

But no sooner had she hurried off to her group than Kotone, the third year who was always wearing the goggles, looked up at her.  She smiled, and waved as though for Akiara to come stand next to her.  Akiara almost withered up right there.  Why did everyone keep _noticing_ her?  What did Kotone want?  She walked reluctantly over to stand near Kotone, anyway.

Hibiki-sensei had her clipboard out, and she was glancing over the students as though to make sure they were all there.  She flipped the papers back over.

“All right,” she said.  “Since this is my first day here with you all, I’d like to mostly just spend it discussing small housekeeping items.  First off…if there are any questions you’d like to ask of me now, feel free to get them in.”

Nina’s hand shot up.

“Hey so like what is a shadow gamer?” she said, before Hibiki could even call on her. “I know what a psychic duelist is cause that’s what I am, but what’s a shadow gamer?”

Hibiki nodded.

“An excellent question: often us gamers ourselves do not know what we are until someone explains it for us.”

She considered for a moment, and then nodded.

“At its most basic, shadow gaming is the ability to create shadow games,” she said.  “It is the ability to infuse any ordinary game with magic.  For example, you could play a game of chess where the pieces come to life.”

Nina’s eyes bulged.

“That’s AWESOME!” she said.

“However,” Hibiki said, raising a cautionary hand.  “It can also be dangerous.  Shadow gamers also have the power to infuse games with very high, real world stakes.  Plus, it can be very straining to maintain a game, as it requires moving the game into a secondary plane of existence where magic is more viable.”

Akiara found herself listening intently.  So…so that was what she could do…?  That would explain…a lot…

She closed her eyes against the assault of images, and tears bubbled to her eyes. She had to press her hands to her head to blot it out, breathing until it passed.

Kotone was looking at her with a frown when Akiara opened her eyes again, and Akiara jumped.  Was she in trouble?  Had someone called on her?

“Are you okay?” Kotone asked quietly.

“Fine,” Akiara said quickly, hoping Kotone wouldn’t be mad at her for not telling the truth.

“Any other questions?” Hibiki asked.

Nina raised her hand again.

“So when did you learn you were a shadow gamer?  This superpowers school wasn’t here when you were a student, right?”

Hibiki grimaced, but then she smiled.

“You’re right, the ‘superpowers school’ wasn’t here yet,” she said.  “Well…I suppose I should get used to telling this story.  My older brother went into a coma when I was in my twenties, and no one could find out why.  All I knew was that he had played an unofficial Duel Monsters game with an unregistered duelist before he passed out, so I…went looking for her.”

She frowned, looking distant for a moment.

“It turned out that she was a shadow gamer herself.  She had increased the stakes of my brother’s game to be that he would lose his soul if he lost.  So, I challenged her back, staking my own soul for his.”

“Whoa,” Nina breathed.  “And you won?”

“I did,” Hibiki said, nodding.  “However I…accidentally put her into a coma as well.  It took me several months to meet Yuki Judai-san, and he helped me wake her back up.”

Oh no, Akiara was getting shaky again.  She didn’t want to think about things like this.

“Any further questions?” Hibiki asked, propping her clipboard up on her hips.  “No?  Well, you can ask me anything more later.  We do need to get on to a few more important things.  First off, I’d like to discuss with you how all of you would like this class to be run.”

For a moment, it was just silent.

Then Nina piped up.

“Whoa!” she shouted.  “You mean we get to decide the class?”

“Sort of,” Hibiki said.  “Let’s be honest, here: the powers you all have are not something that can be confined by a curriculum.  They can only be defined by you, and what you want to learn from them.”

She tucked her clipboard under her arm.

“So first off, I’d like to give you all a few moments to think.  You can talk to your peers, too, especially if you older students want to give the younger students some help.  But I want you to think about what your powers so far have meant to you, and to come up with some kind of personal goal for the year regarding them.”

“What kinda goal?  Can we get examples?” Nina said.

“Well, it’s open ended for a reason,” Hibiki said.  “Would any of the older students like to give their own goals from last year as an example?”

Kotone raised her hand almost immediately.

“My goal last year was to learn how to materialize a monster without a Duel Disk,” she said.  “And the year before that it was…well, it was to learn just how to be comfortable with my powers.”

Hibiki nodded, smiling.

“You can see from Mizushima-chan here that the goal can be vague or specific,” she said.  “Think carefully about how you’ve felt about your abilities so far, and what you want from them now.  You are the ones in control of yourself—not your powers in control of you.”

Akiara’s heart jumped. She looked down at the ground, staring at the sand under her feet.  A goal…?  What kind of goal could she have for herself?  She thought about it.  The only goal she had had when she had come to Duel Academy was…blend in.  Don’t be noticed…get in and get out with a diploma and then…

She grimaced.  If she thought too honestly about it, part of her felt like she would live long enough to finish high school.  What was a future, anyway?

“Tanaka-san?” Kotone said, making Akiara jump.  “Do you want to talk about it?”

The others were chattering away, and Akiara looked nervously towards them.

“I don’t know,” she said.

“You don’t have to!” Kotone said.  “I just wanted to make sure you knew you were allowed to.”

Akiara nodded quickly, and kept looking down.  She thought Kotone would probably be mad when she didn’t talk.  She might have said that it was okay not to, but Kotone probably wanted her to talk.  Oh geez…she was going to make everyone mad…

What kind of goal…could she have…for her powers…?

“All right, does everyone have something?  It’s all right if you don’t yet.  If you do and would like to share, however, feel free to,” Hibiki said.

Nina’s hand thrust into the air.

“I want to get good enough at psychic dueling so that I can talk to my monsters outside of a duel!” she said excitedly.  “I bet Exploder Dragon has cool stuff to say!”

“An excellent goal,” Hibiki said, smiling.  She glanced across the group.  “Anyone else?”

A girl in the middle that Akiara didn’t remember the name of slowly raised her hand.  Hibiki’s smile slipped slightly before she nodded.

“Yes, Saito-san?”

“I want to beat my record for number of games I’ve won against demons in a year,” she said, sounding smug.

Hibiki’s smile got a little…wooden.

“Saito-san, maybe come see me after class.”

Saito grinned widely, and Akiara found herself shuddering.  Goal…she didn’t have a goal…

Her hands tightened into fists in front of her.  She didn’t realize she was speaking out loud until she did.

“Can my goal be to…not have my powers anymore?”

She said it quietly enough that it was only really a shock to her, but Kotone looked down quickly.  Her lips parted, and Akiara saw her hand move towards her.  Was she about to grab Akiara for saying that?  Akiara quickly moved out of the way.

She put her head down and tried not to attract any more attention.  She wasn’t going to say anything, she wasn’t going to do anything, she was just going to…be quiet.

“Hey.”

Akiara jumped—w-when had one of the twins ended up standing next to her??  Why wouldn’t anyone leave her alone? Did they all hate her that much?

It was the twin that had the half ponytail in the back, and she glanced down at Akiara through the corner of her eyes.

“She’s letting us discuss it a little bit more with the rest of her time,” the twin said.  Which one was it?  Ji-U or Eun?  Akiara didn’t know.  “Want to talk about it?”

 _No_. _Please leave me alone…I didn’t do anything to upset you, why do you hate me…_

Akiara looked down.

Then she felt a strange tugging feeling at the back of her stomach, and she felt a little sick.  This…she knew this feeling.  She looked up quickly, but the twin wasn’t looking at her.  Akiara felt pale.

“Are you starting a shadow game with me?” Akiara said.

“Just a little one,” the twin said.  “Don’t worry.  There aren’t any punishments for not playing.”

She glanced down at Akiara.

“This is a riddle game.  We ask each other one riddle at a time.  If you get it wrong, you have to answer a question truthfully.”

Akiara withered.  What was this new kind of bullying?

“You can go first,” the twin said.  “Jokes count as riddles, too.”

Akiara fumbled.  She didn’t know any riddles!  Maybe she could just be quiet and not play.  But if she didn’t play, maybe the girl would get mad at her and bully her and—

“U-uh…w-why did the chicken cross the road,” she said lamely.  Stupid, stupid!!  She couldn’t think of anything else!

“I dunno.”

Akiara blinked, her fright briefly vanishing with surprise.  She looked up at the twin, who was looking back at her, head tilted.

“I got it wrong,” the twin said.  “You can ask me anything you want and I have to tell the truth.”

Akiara could feel the twisting sensation of the game, and she knew it was true.  Tiny shadows lingered in the corners of her eyes, and the world around them was muted, everyone else sounding distant.  They were in the other place where the shadow games took place.

“I don’t have any questions.”

“It can be anything.”

Akiara tried to think.  This girl had gotten it wrong on purpose…why?  What was she trying to do?

“Um…w-which twin are you?” Akiara ended up asking.

“I’m Eun,” she said.  “And unless we’re trying to mess with someone, I’m always the one with the ponytail.”

Akiara nodded.

“My turn,” Eun said, and Akiara’s heart jumped.  Oh no…what did Eun want to ask her?  Akiara knew she’d get the riddle wrong… “What five letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?”

Akiara’s mind immediately went blank.  She stared for a few seconds, just mouthing the question over and over.

“I don’t know,” she finally, said, eyes bubbling with tears.  Whatever Eun asked, Akiara would have to answer…oh no…

“The answer is the word ‘short,’” Eun said.  “Okay then, my question: are you okay?”

Akiara flinched.  She started to give her usual answer, but something else came out instead.

“N-no, I’m not.”

Eun looked down at her, brow wrinkling.  Akiara flinched and put her hands over her face.  Oh no oh no oh no.

But Eun said nothing in response to that.

“Your turn,” she said.

Akiara couldn’t even think of anything.  What was Eun trying to get out of this?

“W-what’s black and white and black and white and black white all over?” Akiara asked.  She could only think of stupid, common jokes.”

“A newspaper?”

“U-uh…” That was technically something black and white, but that wasn’t her answer. “N-no…a panda rolling down a hill.”

“Darn,” Eun said—and it was obvious that she had gotten wrong on purpose again.

Akiara didn’t need to think of another question.

“Why do you keep getting these wrong on purpose?” she said.

“Because I want you to be able to ask me anything without worrying about me lying to you.”

Akiara blinked.  She had another question on her tongue already, but it wasn’t her turn.

“What can you hold in your right hand, but not in your left?”

Akiara had no idea, so she just waited until Eun turned towards her to ask her question.

“Why are you not okay?”

Akiara’s eyes bubbled with tears.  She didn’t want to talk about it, but she had played the game and now she had to.

“Because everyone is looking at me and probably already hates me, because I’m slow and stupid and apologize too much, and because they’ll be scared of me when they find out all of the bad things I’ve done!  And I’m just ready for everyone to start hating me and I don’t know why everyone keeps trying to talk to me, like, does everyone already hate me?  Are they already trying to bully me?”

Eun’s face didn’t change, she just looked down steadily at Akiara.

“It’s your go,” she said.

“I don’t want to play,” Akiara said, her eyes full of tears.  She rubbed at her eyes.  “I don’t want to play anymore!  When does the game end?”

“Just ask me one more riddle,” Eun said.  “One more, so you can ask me another question and you can know I’m not lying.”

“I don’t want to,” Akiara said.  “I don’t want to.”

“Please—just ask me one more.”

Akiara tightened her hands on her face. 

“What question do you even want me to ask you?”

“I want you to ask me if I hate you or not.”

Akiara bit her lip, looking between her fingers. Eun was hard to read, she thought.  Her face didn’t ever change.

“Why is there a gate around a cemetery?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you hate me?  Is that why you’re doing this?”

Eun tilted her head.

“I don’t hate you at all, Tanaka-chan.  I played this game with you because…”

And then suddenly, was that…a faint redness on Eun’s cheeks?  Her face didn’t change otherwise.

“Because I thought you were cute.  And you looked scared and lonely and Ji-U and I wanted to get to know you.”

The shadows slowly filtered away, and the sounds came back in full force.  The game was over.  Akiara just stood there, peering out through her fingers.

“You’re telling the truth?” she said, hands shaking.

“You played the game.  You know I couldn’t have lied,” Eun said.

Akiara swallowed.  She…she did know that.

“I put someone in a coma, like Hibiki-sensei said,” Akiara said.  “Does that make you hate me?”

“No,” Eun said.  “I did that too.  It was really scary the first time it happened, right?”

“I…I was more scared that I didn’t really care,” Akiara mumbled.  “W-when he slumped over the controller, I wasn’t upset.  I was glad that he couldn’t hurt me anymore.”

“Then you were protecting yourself.  There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Everyone hated me afterward, though,” Akiara said, her eyes bubbling with tears.  “They thought I was scary.  T-they always did things to make me cry.  They stole my desk, and put pins in my shoes, and poured vinegar over my lunch—”

Akiara flinched when Eun stepped forward—but Eun was only very carefully wrapping her arms around Akiara.  Was this…a hug?

“Tanaka-chan,” Eun said.  “Everyone here has felt what you have.  You’re not alone anymore.  No one is going to hurt you.”

Akiara froze in Eun’s arms, unmoving for a moment.

And then, against all of her guard, she slumped.  She just let Eun hold her as she cried and cried and cried.  Eun began to softly run her hand across Akiara’s hair.

“I’m sorry.  I’m sorry.  I was scared of all of you, and I still am, I don’t know what to do—”

“It’s okay.  Be as scared as you need to be.”

Akiara thought that maybe everyone was staring, because they weren’t in the game anymore, so everyone could see them.

But for the first time, Akiara thought…maybe that was okay.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the manga didn't really do much in this chapter but haha....gotta bend the prompts for the story ^^;;; I personally prefer the anime WAY better than the manga, but the manga did give us some awesome characters like Midori Hibiki and Reggie MacKenzie. I love Hibiki-sensei too much, so for the manga prompt I decided to add her into the cast as one of the unit advisers! She's not a "shadow gamer" in the original manga but shh...this is my own canon XD
> 
> As much as the anime is better than the manga, though, GX is probably the best spinoff manga of the lot. At least the characters feel like the same people!! XD


	8. Pining Anani – Reminiscing on Past Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anani has a bit of a crush on the second-year in her class, the boy who shapeshifts the way that she changes colors. Still, she's got a lot of issues with how to go about even thinking about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Favorite Quote

Anani sat on top of her desk where she could see the moon.  It was full, finally, after a few weeks at school, and she loved it.  Moonlight was the best light, she thought.  It made everything look white and silver and ethereal; and in the dark with only moonlight, her skin didn’t look so weird.

She put her hands against the window, so that in the dark room, the moonlight could silhouette her pure white hands.  It was honestly a relief to not have to fill them with color all the time.  She kept her colors on while she was on the main campus, but here?  Here she could be herself.  She had been a little worried about living with a roommate when she had applied here.  She had even tried to see if it was possible for a freshman to get a single—she couldn’t keep her colors on while she slept, and it was hard to maintain them constantly. Living with someone else would…complicate things.

But then she found this dorm!  And she had found other people like her!  And her roommate, Nina, thought she looked “cool,” and since then, had never even really brought up Anani’s colorless condition.

It was good, Anani thought.  Very good.

She blinked then.  O-oh, was that someone walking through the woods?  She could see the shape…ah!

The shape suddenly began to glow softly.  It must be Mostyn, the second-year from her unit.  He was the only one she knew of that could glow.

She saw him stop and then shake his arms until the glow went out.  She giggled behind her hand—she could almost imagine him swearing softly.  He was always shapeshifting, and it was even more unpredictable than Anani’s colors.  He complained about it a lot, about how hard it was to stay in one shape all the time.  Anani understood a little at least.

She pressed her face to the window.  Where was he going?

She didn’t notice how hot her face was until she felt it against the cold of the window, and she jumped back.  O-oh, she thought, looking at her hands.  She was turning red.

She shook her hands until she went back to her natural white, still feeling hot.

Hmm…m-maybe she could go meet up with Mostyn?  And see what he was doing?  It was kind of late, but there was no school tomorrow.

Before she could think better of it, she hopped off her desk, slipped into her shoulders and sweater, and hurried out the door.

She had to walk all the way around the dorm to get to the part of the forest she had seen Mostyn in, and by then, he was gone.  She hugged her sweater closer to her, biting her lip as she looked around the dark woods.  Oh…maybe this had been a bad idea.  She could always talk to him in class, or go visit him in his dorm.  He had invited her, after all, she thought with another ripple of red across her skin.  _“We can complain about how annoying it is to try and look normal for the normies,”_ he had laughed.  _“Or just play some video games, if you like that.”_

She still hadn’t taken him up on it…oh, he probably just saw her as his junior, someone who had powers like him that he wanted to mentor.  He probably didn’t think of her like…

She quickly clapped her hands to her cheeks.  None of that!  Don’t think about things like that!  She was only setting herself up for heartbreak…

Anani squeaked at the sound of crackling branches then, whirling around.  Was that Mostyn??

N-no, she realized, as a very harried looking Saya appeared from the dark, twigs and leaves in her hair.  She froze in the middle of a swear when her eyes found Anani.

“Oh,” she said.  “Evening—Anani-chan, right?  What are you doing out here this late?”

“I-I could ask you that,” Anani said, heart thumping in her chest. She was shocked enough by seeing her, she didn’t want to add to that by telling the truth.  That would make it sound like she was stalking Mostyn.

Saya grimaced, suddenly looking almost paler than Anani.

“I live with Saito Hibike,” she grumbled.  “Third-year—dunno if you’ve met her.”

Anani nodded.  She remembered the girl from their combined unit before Hibiki Midori had taken over that half of the class.  Anani didn’t remember too much about her, though: just that she was a tall, thick sort of girl with a quick smile and glittering magenta eyes under her pale pink bangs.

“She’s a shadow gamer,” Saya groaned.  “And she likes to play those…spooky games.  She’s playing Midnight Man in our dorm room right now, and I’m pretty sure the Midnight Man is actually there.”

She blanched even whiter.  Anani had no idea what the Midnight Man game was, but it didn’t sound very good if it was frightening Saya-senpai so much.

“So, I decided to clear out.  Told most of the senior dorm to be wary too so I think almost everyone else cleared out too.  Thought I might go see if the late night snack bar is still open.”

Oh, that was right—the third- and second- years had a separate dorm, built just a little ways away.  The first-years were still in the original Osiris dorm for now until renovations could be done on it.  That must have been why Mostyn was out.

“So what about you?” Saya said.

“M-me?”

“Yeah, what are you doing outside so late?” Saya said.  “Yuki-sensei gets a little cross sometimes if he finds people walking around outside.”

Anani tried to think.

“Um…I like the moonlight,” she said.  “I just wanted to see it a little better?”

Saya wrinkled up her nose, staring at Anani.  Then she just shrugged.

“You’re definitely lying, but I’m not gonna press,” she said.  “Wanna come with me to the snack bar?  My treat.”

“O-oh…okay.”

Feeling awkward but not sure how to say no, Anani followed Saya up the path towards the main campus.  The “snack bar” was just a tiny little shop in between all of the dorms; no one was ever running it.  Just a fat orange tabby cat sat on the counter almost all the time, tail flapping back and forth.  Saya went in first, looking around very briefly before just grabbing a gigantic candy bar.   Anani stuck her tongue out slightly, shifting from foot to foot.

“Don’t be shy, I got paid from my part time job at the book store yesterday,” Saya said.

“O-okay,” Anani said.

She wasn’t really hungry but she settled on a small ice cream sandwich that was about the same price as the candy bar.  Saya shoved a bill for it into the cash register next to the cat, and took out her change before closing the door.

“Doesn’t anyone like…make sure no one steals?” Anani said, clutching her ice cream sandwich.

“That’s what Pharaoh’s here for, right?” Saya said, pointing at the cat.

That cat didn’t look like it would wake up for an earthquake, but Anani didn’t say that out loud.  Saya ripped open her candy bar and bit off a huge chunk as they walked out.  She mumbled something through the huge bite.

“What?”

Saya chewed frantically before swallowing.

“Wanna go out by the bluff?  The moon is really nice from there.”

“Okay.”

Anani wasn’t really sure what she was doing, but she followed Saya out to the bluff, nibbling on her ice cream sandwich.  It was a nice cool sensation with the warm evening, and she sighed.

Then they were rounding the trees to the bluff, and she gasped, eyes widening.

The moon was huge out here, shining and white, its reflection rippling against the black ocean.

“Ooh,” she breathed.

“Nice, huh?” Saya said, grinning with chocolate in her teeth.  She flopped down right at the edge of the bluff, letting her legs kick back and forth.  “I come out here when I wanna think.  Or escape my crazy roommate.”

She took another bite of her chocolate bar, staring out at the ocean.  After a few beats, Anani finally sat down nearby, tucking her legs beneath her.  It was really beautiful out, Anani thought.  It reminded her of nice nights—nights where the clouds would swirl at the corners of the sky and her father would duck down for a few brief moments to say hello.

“So you like the moon, huh?” Saya said.

“Y-yeah,” Anani said, gripping her ice cream sandwich.  “I don’t know…I like the color of the light.  It…you know.”

She held her arm out to the moonlight—in this lighting, it just looked like the dark was washing her out, and not like she was an unnatural color.

“Yea, the moonlight does look like you kinda,” Saya said, nodding.

Anani flushed, her hands briefly turning red.

“T-that wasn’t what I meant,” she said quickly.

Saya laughed.

“I’m teasing you,” she said, briefly ruffling Anani’s hair.  “Well—mostly.  I mean what I said.”

She winked, and Anani blushed again.  Anani hunched her shoulders up a little.

“W-well, at night, people don’t notice it at much,” she said.  “So I don’t have to try so hard…”

“Try so hard for what?”

“To look normal.”

Saya blinked.

“You look normal to me,” she said.

“Most people aren’t colorless,” said Anani.

Saya shrugged.  She took another bite of her candy, glancing out at the ocean again.

“The way I see it,” she said, “anyone who can’t handle something so integral about you doesn’t deserve to even get to know you.  You’re too good for ‘em.”

Anani glanced up.  Saya wasn’t looking at her, just holding her candy bar in her mouth, looking distant.  Anani looked down at her ice cream sandwich.

When she was twelve years old, she had a crush on the star of her school’s hockey team.  He had seemed like he wanted to reciprocate, too.  He’d smile at her where she was sitting by herself in the stands and blow her kisses in her direction.  She’d giggle, and share her boxed lunch with him after the game.  He was a nice boy, until he had kissed her.  And she had gotten so surprised that she forgot to keep her colors on, and when he saw her again, he looked horrified.

 _Real girls don’t look like ghosts_ , he had said.

“I’m kind of scared to get close to people,” Anani said quietly.  “Cause what if they hurt me again?  What if…what if I lose their love again?”

“Then you didn’t want it,” Saya said immediately.  “You’ll find the real thing from the real person.”

“But…”

“Hey, lemme share a thing that Yuki-sensei said to me once,” Saya said, turning towards Anani.  “He said—”

“Love, real love, is big enough and deep enough to fill an entire universe.”

Saya and Anani both looked up with a jolt.  Yuki-sensei half smirked at them from where he was sitting in the tree—he had dragon wings, Anani thought with surprise.  And scales on his arms, and his eyes were two different colors.

“Stalker!” Saya said, pointing up at Yuki-sensei.  “Harassment.”

“I only got here a sentence ago,” Yuki-sensei said with a soft laugh. “Besides, you always mess up my quotes, Saya.  I had to make sure you did it right.”

Saya stuck her tongue out at him, pulling down on one of her eyelids to make a weird face.

“Either way, it’s kind of late for both of you to be out here—and this close to the cliff.”

“We’re fine,” Saya said.

“S-sorry,” Anani said.

Yuki-sensei dropped from the tree and cracked his back as his wings slid back under his skin, and he went back to looking human.  He blinked once, and his eyes turned back to brown.

“For real, back to bed, both of you,” he said, clapping his hand.  “Go on, Saya-chan, stop corrupting the first-years.”

“Ugh, I can’t,” Saya said.  “No really, Judai-sensei, I can’t.  Saito summoned the Midnight Man in the dorm.”

“What??” Judai said.  “ _Again_?  Is _that_ why all of the senior students are out of bed all over campus?”

“That would be up.”

“God fucking dammit, what do I have to do, put that girl on a leash? Fuck.  Okay, just—Saya-chan, walk Ivanova-san back to her dorm, all right?  Hang out there until I deal with this.”

“Roger,” Saya said, saluting.

Yuki-sensei hesitated briefly though, glancing at both of them.

“I don’t know what you guys were talking about, for sure, but Ivanova-san—if you’re ever feeling worried about anything, my door is open.  Okay?  I’ve done this rodeo myself already.”

Anani nodded, smiling.

“Thank you, Yuki-sensei.”

He saluted to them with two fingers, and then darted off into the darkness, grumbling to himself.  Saya munched on the last of her chocolate bar, watching him go.

“So, anyway,” Saya said.  She stood up, stretching before offering a hand to Anani.  Anani took it gratefully—her legs had fallen asleep and it was hard to stand up.  “Basically gist is: if you’ve got a thing for Moss, you should totally go for it.  I’ll help, if you want.”

Anani turned completely red, as red as her Osiris uniform.

“H-how did you know??”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried, really, but I was trying to get that quote of Judai's that he tells to Yubel about love in here somewhere! It might have felt a bit shoehorned haha XD Still, it's a great, lovely quote, very powerful <3


	9. More Ghosts?!  The Third-Year Dorm is Haunted Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saito Hibike is notorious in the Osiris Dorm for constantly inviting ghosts and demons into the senior dorm to play death games with them. Morgan ends up getting pulled in as an accomplice for one of Saito's shadow games, but the end result might not be what either of them expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Moment that made you laugh

Morgan nearly lost her arm when the girl grabbed her, swinging her into a side hallway.  She oofed, trying to keep her balance on her tall heeled shoes, and it took her a moment of blinking to notice who it was that had just grabbed her.  She was taller than Morgan, but just by a hair with Morgan’s shoes.  Her pale pink hair was cut with angled bangs and pulled into a side ponytail  high on her head, and her quick magenta eyes told Morgan that she was going to be trouble.

Excellent.  Morgan loved trouble.

“May I help you?” she said.

“Your body parts come off at will right?”

Ah.  Right to the point.  Morgan tossed one of her curly pigtails back over her shoulders.  This girl was in an Osiris uniform, one of the long jacket ones, which meant she was a third-year.  Morgan was only sort of familiar with her, though: she was in unit three, which was sometimes combined with Morgan’s unit, but since Hibiki-sensei had finally arrived, Morgan had taken all of her classes with Yuki-sensei.

“They do indeed,” Morgan said.  “Do you want to see?”

She popped off one of her fingers to hold it up to the senior’s face, and just for good measure, made it curl up and down, to show off that she still had control over it even while separated.

Most people tended to curl up with disgust when she did that, and it was always amusing.  But the senior just grinned, her eyes glowing with interest.

“How far does that ability go?  Can you like, take off your head?  Do you not have blood?  Are you immortal?”

“Well, I haven’t died yet,” Morgan said with an easy smile.  She put her finger back on and wriggled it to make sure that it was still on.  “One question at a time.  Give me a moment.”

She tapped her finger to her lips.

“I can take off one or two limbs or pieces at a time.  Any more, and I start to get dizzy.  Yes, I can take off my head, but not for long, it gives me a horrible head rush.”

She looked over her nails, briefly thinking about how she needed to reapply her polish.  The pink was chipping off.

“My blood is…different.  It’s more of a smoky, viscous sort of fluid that turns to air if I get cut.  My wounds seal up in a matter of hours, less if I cover them with a special salve.  The blood doesn’t appear when I remove my body parts, because the space seals over the moment I pop it off.”

“Hypothetical question, and I swear I’m not threatening you,” the senior said.  “If some creature were to rip off a limb, would you have the same effect?”

“Yes,” Morgan said immediately.  “My limbs are…not the strongest.  They can pop off from someone tugging extra hard on them, not just me.  I had an unfortunate bullying incident where someone pulled off both my arms, and then immediately fainted because they didn’t know what happened.”

She hmmed.

“It was a spot of bother, trying to get them both back on without hands.”

The senior laughed—it was a raucous sort of sound, more like a crow than anything else.

“I like you,” she said, clapping Morgan on the shoulder.  “I’m Saito Hibike, by the way.”

Ah, right, that was her name.  She was a bit infamous in Osiris, wasn’t she?  Often summoning demons to play shadow games with.  How fun.

“I’m assuming you’re asking me these questions, then, because you’re hoping I can assist you in some variety of demon game,” Morgan said, tilting her head and tapping her loose fist to her lips.

“You’re a fast learner, too!  We’re going to get along,” Saito said.  “That’s basically it.  I managed to strongarm some of the others into playing Answer Man with me, only I think we might have failed the ritual to send him back when we were done.  I think he’s in the dorm somewhere, still.”

“And the Answer Man is…?”

“It’s a phone game.  You can ask him a question and he’ll tell you the truth, but you have to answer one of his questions too—if you get it wrong, he pulls a part of your body off.”

Ah, Morgan thought.  That was where she came in.

“I’m not fond of losing my body parts,” she said.  “They grow back, but it’s…time consuming.  I’d much rather just put the old one back on.”

“If we’re lucky, we won’t need you to lose any limbs,” Saito said.  “But no one else will help me look for the damn thing, and they won’t even go into the dorm until it’s done.   I wanted to play a new game, but if there’s already one demon in the house, even for me, that’s a little much at once.”

Morgan nodded.  Then she clapped her hands together with a smile.

“All right,” she said.  “How do we begin?”

*     *    *

Morgan flipped her cell phone open, letting the light shine out into the dark lobby of the dorm.  The Osiris senior dorm was a little bit bigger than the junior dorm, and the whole thing was inside, unlike the junior dorm, where the doors opened up right to the outside walkway.

Saito stuck her tongue out with concentration, looking around at the darkness.

“Yea, there’s definitely something still in here,” she said.  “I can sense it.”

Morgan didn’t sense anything at all.

“We only have two people, so I don’t think we can play the game as normal,” Saito said.  “With conditions as is, though…we might be able to get on the line with him right away.”

She opened her phone, too.

“Okay, sit across from me,” she said, plopping down on the floor.  “You’ve got my number in there now, yea?”

“Indeed.”

“Okay good, queue it up.  On three, we both call each other.  We’ll probably get a busy signal, but if we keep trying, one of us will probably get through.  Then I can banish the Answer Man back.”

Morgan nodded.  Despite being completely on board with this, a tremor briefly ran down her skin.  If her zombie skin had had any hair, it would probably be raising up on the back of her neck.

“One.”

Morgan opened to contacts and selected Saito’s number.

“Two.”

Getting her limbs popped off didn’t really hurt, but it was annoying.  And if the Answer Man got away with her body part, it _did_ hurt a little to regrow it.

“Three.”

She hit the call button and brought the phone to her ear.  Saito did the same at the same time, and for a moment, they just looked at each other.  In the dark, Saito’s eyes looked black and creepy.  Morgan wondered what she looked like to Saito.

The phone rang for a few seconds.

“Busy,” Saito groaned, dropping her phone to her lap.  “All right, let’s—”

A clicking sound of a phone being answered came through Morgan’s phone.  Her heart jumped.  Oh my.  This was real.  Well, of course it was, she was a zombie, for goodness’s sake…but somehow, she hadn’t expected this to actually work. She held up a hand, and Saito’s eyes sparked.

“Did he answer?”

Morgan hesitated, listening.  All she heard was a heavy breathing sound.

“Ask a question,” Saito said, looking excited.

Any question?  Morgan immediately blanked out on questions.

“Come on, just anything, make sure it’s him,” Saito said.

“Where am I right now?” Morgan asked.

_“In the lobby of the Osiris senior dorm.”_

The voice…didn’t sound quite as frightening as she had expected.  It was a light-hearted sort of voice, like someone used to just lounging around.  She frowned, glancing around the dorm.  It occurred to her that this could somehow be a prank—Saito may have given her someone else’s number and not actually hers.  There could be someone in another room answering.

But she didn’t see anything or anyone, except for a fat orange cat on the bottom step, lounging with its tail flopped over the side.  Morgan looked back down to Saito and nodded.  Well, she had asked a question, so she should be getting one in return.  She wondered if she would be able to answer.

 _“What time is it?”_ the voice asked.

“The questions get progressively harder,” Saito whispered.  “Take the easy ones while you can and distract him.  I’m gonna get ready to get rid of the spirit from the dorm.”

Morgan nodded, checking her watch.

“It’s four twenty-three,” she said.

 _“Correct,”_ the voice said.  It…almost sounded like it was on the verge of laughing.  Morgan frowned again, but Saito was busy dragging little bottles and bags out of her school bag, fussing and mumbling to herself.

Morgan turned her mouth towards the speaker of her phone.

“Who am I speaking to?” she asked.

_“The Answer Man, of course.”_

Morgan was really starting to think this was a prank, only, if it was, Saito was an incredible actress.   She looked completely focused, drawing up what looked like a magic circle on a piece of paper with expert precision.

 _“Here’s my question next, and you can ask your friend for help on this one,”_ the Answer Man said.  _“What’s the homework that Saito is supposed to be doing right now?”_

Morgan blinked. She looked up at Saito.

Saito’s eyes flickered when Morgan put her hand to the speaker and leaned towards her.

“It…wants to know what homework you’re supposed to be working on right now.”

Saito blinked.  Her mouth opened.

And then the cat on the stairs let out a low purring sound, and Saito’s eyes flashed over to that.  She surged to her feet.

“ _DAITOKUJI, AGAIN??”_

A laugh rolled through the phone, and she heard it hang up.  Suddenly, a figure flickered into being on the stairs, sitting near the cat.  He was a youngish looking man, with a pointy sort of face, glasses, and long black hair in a ponytail.  He looked like he could be a teacher, with a rumpled white dress shirt and brown dress pants.  He smiled with a mischievous sort of grin.  Also, he was see-through.

“Sorry, Saito-chan,” he said.  “Judai-kun told me to intercept anymore ghost calls you tried to make.”

“ _Fuck_ you, Daitokuji,” Saito said, looking so mad that she was red in the face.  “So you were the one I sensed?? Not the Answer Man?”

“Judai-kun chased that spirit out two days ago,” Daitokuji said.

Morgan blinked, confused as she looked back and forth between the two.

“I’m sorry,” she said.  “Who is this?”

“Hello,” the man said, waving.  “I’m Daitokuji. Osiris’s resident ghost.”

“He’s a former dorm adviser who died like, a bajillion years ago,” Saito said.  “And he likes to linger on instead of going to the afterlife because he wants to fuck with me, specifically.”

Daitokuji laughed.

“Yes, you, specifically,” he said, clearly joking.  “Anyway, Saito-chan, you should really get your homework done on time and stop messing with these games, or you might not graduate.”

Saito flipped him off.  Then she quickly gathered up all her tools and shoved them into her bag haphazardly, before storming off towards one of the first floor halls.  Morgan blinked and watched her go.

“Didn’t even say goodbye?” she said.

“Don’t take it personally,” Daitokuji said.  “Sorry to pull a prank on you.  Sometimes it’s boring being a ghost.”

Morgan smiled in spite of herself.

“I can imagine.  No offense taken.”

She opened her mouth, thinking about asking something else.  But then the cat sat up, and Daitokuji sighed.

“Must we again?” he said, before he turned into a tiny golden light, and the cat jumped up and…swallowed him.

Morgan blinked, staring at the cat as it landed on the stairs.  It licked its lips.  Then it meowed, tail flipping back and forth.  And without another word, it hopped from the steps and sashayed through the door.

 _Well_ , Morgan thought.  _Today has been a day._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've ALWAYS found Pharaoh constantly swallowing Daitokuji's soul to be funny, so I thought this was a perfect time to introduce Daitokuji to some of the cast, at least XD


	10. Thunder Strikes! Nina’s Deck is Only Monsters?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nina can't seem to stop losing against everyone in practice matches, and she's getting frustrated! But then someone unexpected shows up to give her advice on how to best use her deck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Favorite Rival

“Iiiit’s my turn!!”

Nina drew her card with the most flourish she could muster—and promptly sent it flying.

“Argh!!!  One second!!”

She darted after the errant card, leaping up to try and snag the fluttering thing from the air.

“Orlando-san, if you go outside the duel ring again I am going to disqualify you!!”

Nina winced as she grabbed her card, hopping on one foot until she landed just inches from the line of the duel ring.

“No worries, Chronos-sensei!! I’m okay!!”

The teacher made a face at her—well, then again, Chronos-sensei’s face _always_ looked funny.  Nina giggled as she hurried back to her spot.  Saki didn’t seem very bothered, and she smiled at Nina from the other side.

“Okay!!  I’m gonna go!  I summon Darkblaze Dragon in attack mode!!”

Her dragon emerged in a fury of heat and lightning, the air changing in temperature as it stepped through the barrier.  The dragon left scratches on the duel floor—maybe that was why Chrono-sensei had insisted that Osiris duelists in unit three, at least, needed to practice on the less expensive duel floors.  Oops, Nina thought with a giggle.  But she couldn’t help it if her monsters wanted to play!

“Darkblaze Dragon, attack her face down monster!” Nina shouted.

Saki braced herself with her arms crossed in front of her as the impact ripped through the hologram of her card—and then white light bounced back off of a shield, and Darkblaze had to jump back.

“Too bad, Nina-chan, that was my Robot Buster—and it has the same defense points as your attack points.”

“Awww what??” Nina said.  “Fine…I guess I end my turn.”

Saki drew.  A smile quirked over her face.

“I normal summon Buster Whelp of the Destruction Swordsmaster!”

Saki’s adorable little spirit partner appeared on the field, raising its cute hackles with an adorably brave hiss.

“When Buster Whelp is normal summoned, I can add one Destruction Sword card to my hand—and the one I choose is Destruction Swordsman Fusion!”

Oh _no_ , Nina groaned.  Here it was—Saki’s signature combo.

“I fuse Buster Whelp on the field with the Buster Blader in my hand to summon Buster Blader, the Destruction Swordsman!”

The glowing knight appeared in a swirl of fusion lights, wielding the massive, shining sword.  Darkblaze Dragon was forced into defense mode.  Ahhhhh dammit…

Saki attacked her with her Buster Blader, dealing piercing damage.  Nina got to summon two more monsters, but Buster Blader just put her dragons into defense mode and did so much piercing damage that Nina was done in just a few turns.

“Awwww dammit!!” Nina shouted, dropping to her butt.  “Ugh…that’s 14 to 0.”

“Sorry, Nina-chan,” Saki said, looking legitimately guilty as the holograms dissolved.  “I guess I’m just not a good match up for you…”

Nina opened her mouth to say something, but she forgot what it was as soon as someone else shouted from somewhere up in the bleachers.

“What the _fuck_ was that?”

Nina and Saki both looked up, just in time to see a streak of black physically launch itself over the railings, with the much more half-hearted shape of Yuki-sensei jogging down the stairs after him.

Nina blinked as a tall man with messy black hair and a long black jacket marched over to her.  She was so surprised for a moment that it took her a good thirty seconds for her brain to catch up.

“Oh my _GOD!_ ” she screamed, shooting to her feet.  “You’re—”

“Shhhhh,” Yuki-sensei said, vaulting the railing and running over.  “Shhh.  Goddammit, you are not supposed to be riling up my kids—”

“Shut the fuck up, Judai, this is serious,” the dark haired man said.

Nina felt like she was going to fall over.

“You’re _Manjoume Thunder_ ,” she said, in a stage whisper.  “Right??”

The man blinked for a moment.  Then he immediately grinned.

“See?” he said, looking back at Yuki-sensei.  “Important.”

“AhhhhhHHHHH.”

Nina tried not to scream too loudly, and settled for waving her hands up and down as fast as she could possibly manage.  Manjoume Thunder was one of her all-time favorite pro duelists EVER, what was he doing in the school talking to her??

“Ah! Manjoume-kun!” Chronos-sensei said.  “No one told me you were visiting, na no ne.”

“It was supposed to be a secret,” Yuki-sensei said, shooting a glare at Manjoume.

“Was that _your_ deck you were using?” Manjoume asked, looking right at Nina.

“Y-yeah!!” Nina said.  “That was my dragon deck!!  I love dragons a lot!!  Like your Armed Dragons!  They’re awesome!”

“Hmph,” Manjoume said, but he smiled a little.  “Why’d you keep playing them out there?  That Fusion can’t attack you directly—without any other monsters on her field, you could have waited it out to get some traps or non-dragons to deal with it.”

“Huh?” Nina said, blinking.

Manjoume stared at her for a moment.

“Lemme see your deck,” he said, holding out his hand.

Normally, Nina would balk at letting anyone touch her cards, but she knew about Manjoume Thunder, and he was a good friend to his monsters.  She popped her deck out of its slot and handed it to him.

He frowned as he flicked through the cards, eyes narrowing.  Nina bounced back and forth on her heels.  What was he gonna say?

He slid the cards together with a snap, and handed them back to her.  And before she could even get them back into her disk, he had grabbed her shoulder.

“Chronos!  Judai!  I’m kidnapping your student for the day.”

“Huh?”

“Manjoume, please,” Yuki-sensei said, looking very put upon.

“I’ll talk to you later,” Manjoume said. “You!  You’re coming with me.”

“O—kay?” Nina said, letting herself be dragged off the duel field.

*    *    *

Manjoume pulled the both of them outside, near the bluff that overlooked the ocean.  Then he finally released Nina and turned towards her, arms folded.

“First!” he said.  “You have way too many monsters in your deck.  You need to be playing trap and spell cards.”

“Awww, but that will cut down on the number of friends I can add,” Nina said.

“Second!” Manjoume said, as though he weren’t paying attention to her.  “You’ve got too many cards in general.  Sixty might be the deck limit, but you should never go higher than forty-five if you can help it!”

Even _less_ of her dragon friends?  Nina pouted, folding her arms.  Was that what he was here to tell her?  That her deck sucked?

“And the third thing—”

“You’re gonna tell me they’re too low attack, right?” Nina shot at him.  “That’s what everyone says!!”

She folded her arms even tighter, glaring.  And here she thought that he was going to be cool!  But he was just telling her the stuff everyone always told her.

“I don’t want to leave any of my friends out!” she said. “I might not be able to hear or see them like the other kids, but—but all of the dragons are my friends!  I can’t just leave some of them out!  Especially not just cause they’re ‘weak’ or something!  They’re all important!!”

“Hey!” Manjoume said, cutting her off.  “Let me finish all right?”

“No!  You’re just gonna tell me what everyone else tells me, that I’m stupid and bad at this and I should just go home!” 

Oh no, she was crying.  She rubbed quickly at her eyes, trying to hide it.  She could just hear it now—all the jeering sounds of former classmates, the sound of her cards getting knocked out of her hand and onto the floor, the laughter that had followed when she said she was applying to Duel Academy.  Well she had already shown them, right?? She had gotten accepted!  Even if it was just because she was a psychic duelist…

Manjoume’s mouth opened and closed a few times.  Then he just made a long _urrgh_ sound.

“Do you want to listen, or not?” he said.

“I don’t want you to tell me that my cards are dumb just because they’re weak, they’re my friends,” she said.

“I thought you knew who I was—why the hell would you think I have anything against low-attack cards?”

Nina blinked.  Huh?

Manjoume just sighed, though, rubbing his forehead.

“Okay, maybe I started off a little too forceful,” he said.  “Here.  Have a look at this.”

He dug into his inside pocket, pulling out a thin stack of cards.  He held them out to her.  Frowning, Nina took the cards cautiously.  She turned them over—and a very strange looking yellow monster with long eye stalks looked back at her.

She giggled before she could stop herself.

“Who is this?” she said.  “He’s funny!”

Manjoume folded his arms, scowling.

“Don’t encourage him,” he said.

Nina flipped through the cards.  Oh?  Every single monster in this deck was…zero attack?

“What is this?” she said, looking up at him.

“That is my zero attack deck,” Manjoume said.  “I’ve only used it a few times in competitive leagues, so that’s probably why you’ve never seen it before.”

He took the cards back from her.

“You built a whole deck out of zero attack monsters?” she said.

Manjoume nodded.

“Got challenged when I was in school, about your age,” he said, as he tucked the deck back into his coat.  “Had to fight somebody with a deck of monsters that had five hundred attack or less.  Dunno if it’s still here—Judai probably made sure it wasn’t—but there used to be an old well here where kids would throw their weak cards into.”

“What!!  That’s awful!!”

Manjoume smirked.

“Yeah, well, at the time, seemed normal to me,” he said.  “Anyway.  I crawled down there and found a fuck ton of spirits, and just took all of ‘em.  Made a deck out of it.  Of course, now I’m a fucking menagerie everywhere I go.”

He glared at the air, and Nina’s eyes widened.  Oh!  He must be a spirit seer, like Saki!

“Anyway, here’s what I’m trying to say,” he said, looking back down at her.  “The problem isn’t that you’ve got low attack monsters.  Hell, I’m gonna be the first to tell you not to leave any of your friends out.”

He jabbed a finger at her, almost poking her in the collar bone.

“But!  If you want your friends to shine, if you want your friends to battle without always getting hurt, don’t you think you should be building a deck that really lets them battle at their strongest?”

Nina’s mouth fell open slightly.

“But…” she started.

“I get it—you want to include everyone.  And that’s fine.  But!  If you don’t give them the support they need in spells and traps, they’ll keep fighting with nothing to show for it.  Is that what you want?”

Nina’s shoulders slumped a little.  She hadn’t thought of that.  Her friends were probably tired of always getting beaten all the time.  She should have thought about their feelings more than she had…

“So here’s what you and me are gonna do,” Manjoume said.  “We’re gonna build you three different decks.”

“Huh?” Nina said, looking up at him.

“You’ve got the pieces for a couple of really strong decks, with the right support and deck size,” he said.  “So we’re building you three of them.  You can rotate ‘em out so that all of your monsters get to fight sometimes, but that gives them the support they need at the same time.  You’ll be able to adapt to different situations and opponents, too.”

“You mean like, I could make a deck that could go up against Saki for once?”

“Probably,” he said.  “So, do you want my help, or not?”

Manjoume Thunder was going to help her build her deck??  That was awesome!  No one at home was ever gonna believe her!

“Of course!!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How could I ever have any favorite other than Manjoume? He's honestly one of the best characters, he's always so much fun to watch and I love how he's actually way more soft-hearted than he acts. I thought he and Nina could be a great combo haha >w<


	11. Dog Days - The Adventures of Inugawa Taro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taro was an epic adventurer back when he was a duel spirit, and he wants to explore the entire world! Pharaoh, however, is not very impressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Pharaoh the Cat

_And so, despite the danger, the intrepid explorer moves forward along the treacherous path…_

Taro bit his lip, carefully edging himself along the thin path on the cliff.  A heavy wind ripped past him, stealing at the edges of his jacket.  He clung to the rock.  No way was he falling off, not this close to his goal!  One step at a time, Taro.  One step at a time!

He slid across the wall.  Below him, the ocean roared softly.  The rocks were glaring at him, he was sure—just waiting for him to fall.  Not today, rocks!  Not today!  The great Shiba-Warrior Taro would not fall today!

Almost…there…ah!

He made it to the end of the strip, stumbling gratefully onto a thicker bluff as he ducked his head under an overhang.  The yawning darkness of the cave looked back at him.

“Are you coming, friend?” he said, looking back over his shoulder.

_“Not everyone is as slow as you.”_

He blinked, turning back towards the cat.  Ah!  Pharaoh was already here.  The fat cat sat primly, flicking his tail back and forth.

“You’re fast!” he said, crouching down on the balls of his feet.

_“Cats are always better at climbing than dogs,”_ Pharaoh said, sniffing.

“Well, I’m a person now, which means I’m a great climber!  Haven’t you seen the kinds of mountains that humans have climbed?” he said, bouncing excitedly.  “This is great practice for when I go for that challenge to climb the seven highest mountains in the world!”

_“You do that,”_ Pharaoh said, yawning.  _“Now, are you interested in going forward, or continuing to yap?”_

“Let’s go!”

Taro was very, very tall in his human form.  Most of the time, this was a source of pride for him—as a dog, he had always been one of the smallest Duel Spirits, but as a human, he was taller than even most of the third-years!

Still, today it was a little annoying, because this cave was small enough that he had to crouch down on his hands and knees to follow Pharaoh.

“Does it get much smaller than this?”

_“Don’t worry.  It gets wider at the end.”_

Pharaoh’s tail swished back and forth in the dark—Taro could see fine, of course.  He still had dog eyes, even as a human.  The cat led the way through the small, winding tunnel.  Taro was getting a little nervous—uncharacteristic for him—as the hole got so thin that his shoulders were brushing the sides.  But then—

He gasped. The cave opened  up all at once, and his voice echoed around the room.

This cave was _huge_.  Massive stalactites clung to the ceiling, dripping water gently towards the floor.  The ground was like a forest of stalagmites, and with the ones above it made the cavern look like a very strange, toothy mouth.

In the middle, however, was what Taro was looking for.

“It’s beautiful!!”

A gorgeous, faintly glowing lake spread out beneath the cavernous ceiling.  It was still save for the water dripping from above, sending faint ripples across the surface.  He scrambled free of the tunnel and jogged around the stalagmites until he was at the foot of the lake.  He knelt down to peer inside.

The water was perfectly clear, though it glowed with a pale blue light.  Deep within the water, crystals shimmered in various shades of pink, orange, and green.  He could see some kind of strange silvery fish, long and with flowing fins, darting among the crystals.

Pharaoh followed after him, sitting himself primly near the water.  Both of his ears flicked forward.  His tail swished back and forth, back and forth, eyes fixed on the water.

“Want me to catch a fish for you?” Taro asked.

_“I am perfectly capable of doing it myself.  I do not need the help of a dumb dog to scare them all away.”_

Pharaoh sounded offended, so Taro just laughed.  Cats were always so easily offended.  Not like dogs.  Pharaoh called him mean things a lot, but Taro thought it was funny.

He turned his eyes back to the water, plopping himself beside it. Ahh.  It was nice and peaceful down here.

_“Why did you want to come down here, anyway?”_ Pharaoh asked, still staring at the water, waiting for a fish to come too close to the surface.

“Why?  Because I’m an adventurer!  I want to see everything I can, so I can have lots of good memories.”

He rocked back and forth a bit, looking out around the cave.  The lake’s glow illuminated the edges of the rock formations, making everything look ethereal and beautiful.  He sighed.  This was the best.  He had just known that Duel Academy would have great places to explore.

_“Is that why you came to this school?”_ Pharaoh asked.  _“To have adventures?”_

“Why else would I come?”

Pharaoh sniffed, not taking his eyes from the water.

_“Just like a dog.  No real ambitions.”_

“What’s a better ambition than to have fun?”

He smiled, staring up at the ceiling.

“I used to be known for being an adventurer back in the spirit world,” he said.  “Everybody knew who Shiba-Warrior Taro was!  I was going into the deepest caves and the tallest mountains and finding the coolest things!”

_“Why did you leave, then?”_

Taro winced.

“Ehh…I made a couple people mad,” he said.  “I explored into some places that some monsters didn’t like me to be in.”

_“So you ran away?”_

Taro pouted.

“I didn’t run,” he said.  “I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t have to.”

He scratched behind his ear.  It was nice to be able to let his regular ears and tail out nowadays.  He didn’t have to hide it here.

He didn’t like thinking about what had made him leave the spirit world.  He wasn’t sad about it—the human world was great!  But…

He put his hand against his stomach, frowning.

“It really hurts to die,” he said.  “Spirits aren’t supposed to be able to, but sometimes you get close.  And it hurts.”

_“I’m on my fourth life.  I should know,”_ Pharaoh said, flicking his tail back and forth.  _“So.  You got hurt.”_

Taro nodded.

It had been a cold day in a dark world.  There was some kind of war on, but he hadn’t known much about it—he wasn’t from that dimension.  He just wanted to see if he could find the legendary stone snake, that was supposedly an ancient structure in the mountains, left behind by the gods when they had faded from the world.

“I was so excited to see it,” he said.  “And I never got to.”

The soldiers that had found him hadn’t believed him when he said he wasn’t a spy from the other side.  Running hadn’t helped his case, but he didn’t know what else to do.  He didn’t like to think about the feeling of the spear piercing through him and the multiple stabs he had taken once they had caught up.

_“How did you get away?”_ Pharaoh asked.

“On one of my previous adventures, a magician had given me a special escape spell,” Taro said.  “She said it could only be used once, and I had to be completely sure there was no other option to get away, because it couldn’t be undone, either.”

_“Ah.  So it was a rebirth spell.”_

Taro nodded.  He had cast his hoarded spell in a panic, and the next thing he knew…he didn’t know anything.  Several years later, the memories had come back to him slowly—after he had spent almost nine years as a young human boy called Inugawa Taro.

_“So, what will you do?  Will you try to find a way back to the spirit world?  Or will you stay here?”_

“Mmm…I haven’t decided yet.”

He hugged his knees and rocked his head back and forth.

“The human world is pretty interesting.  There’s a lot of new things to see here that I wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise!  Like this!”

He spread his hands out at the lake, smiling.

“Plus, I got to meet a lot of new, interesting people, and make a lot of friends!  Like you, Pharaoh!”

Pharaoh snorted.

_“Are we friends?”_ he said.  _“I don’t know how I feel about being friends with a dog.”_

“Awww, you’re just a softie inside, don’t you deny it!”

Pharaoh sniffed with a thin, faint distaste.  And then his paws flashed out at the water.

Water splashing Taro in the face as Pharaoh struggled to drag the fish out, its fins flailing and smacking Pharaoh in the face until he got his teeth around it.

Pharaoh looked very, very upset, and Taro tried not to laugh at how silly the cat looked with wet fur dragging his cheek hair down.  Made him look like an old, grizzled man.

_“I’m done here now,”_ Pharaoh said, picking up his fish.  _“I’m going back.”_

Taro scrambled to his feet to follow.

“You’re gonna show me where the Three Phantasms are hidden next, right?”

_“There isn’t any fish there.  So no.”_

“Aww, come on, buddy!  You know where all the secret things are all over school, you gotta share!”

_“I thought you were an adventurer. Explore and find it yourself.”_

“You’re so cold, Pharaoh, I thought we were friends.”

_“You decided that. Not me.”_

Taro laughed as he ran to catch up with his cat friend.  The human world really was a lot of fun, wasn’t it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someday I almost wanna write some omake stuff about Taro the adventuring Shiba, I'll bet that would be fun! Also, it was so much fun giving Pharaoh a personality this time, I figured Taro would be able to understand him, since he himself is technically a dog. Pharaoh ended up a lot sassier than I expected XD that's cats for ya


	12. A Sister's Bond - Saya's Sad Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saya is always telling jokes and ghost stories to spook the other younger students. But what, exactly is the sadness that she's hiding behind her smile?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Teacher's Day

Saya awoke very rudely.  She gasped, her forehead bouncing off of the desk.  For a long moment, she had no idea where she was.

Then she heard the loud, obnoxious snoring of Saito on the bottom bunk behind her, and remembered.  Right.  Duel Academy.  Her room.  She wiped a hand down her face, blinking the grogginess from her eyes.  Glasses...where were her glasses...

She found them on the floor, frowning as she checked them over.  No damage, at least...she must have fallen asleep while doing her exam studies.

Glasses neatly back on her nose, she found her eyes sliding over to where she didn't want them to look.  The photograph smiled back at her.  Ah...she looked so happy in that photograph.  Not that big sis had ever not looked happy.  Her head was thrown back, holding her sun hat on with one hand, eyes squeezed shut with the exuberance of the wind that flung her auburn hair back.

Saya sighed.  Then she smiled, and clapped her hands together softly.

“Morning, oneesan,” she said.  “'Nother day at Duel Academy.”

Her sister, as always, did not respond.

*    *    *

The girl ran crying out of the bathroom.  Saki wouldn't have noticed, except that she heard Chronos-sensei start to splutter when the girl nearly smacked into him.  She glanced up from her pager.  She and Miu had been comparing their deck lists with the new cards that were supposed to be coming to the store soon, but her lips parted at the commotion.

 _“Gorgonzola!!_   Whatever is the matter, na no ne??” Chronos said.

“Are you all right?” Tenjoin-sensei said, tilting her head and leaning forward around the other teacher.  The girl just shook her head, face in her hands, and ran off, still crying.

Tenjoin glanced towards the bathroom.  What had...

She frowned at the sight of Saya coming out behind the crying girl, hands behind her head.

“Saya-chan,” she said, putting her hands on her hips.  “Have you been telling ghost stories again?”

“She just asked me what happened in the dorm last night with Saito,” Saya said, not looking at all bothered.  “I only told her the truth, sensei, honest.”

“Nishimura-san!  This is most unacceptable!!” Chronos said.  “You are a third-year, na no ne!  You have to uphold the image of this school!”

“Yea, yea,” Saya said, waving one hand.  “Welp, I'm gonna be late for class!”

She spun on her heel and made to run off, but Tenjoin's hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist.

“I know you have a free period this hour, Saya-chan,” she said, frowning.  “Would you come to my office, please?”

Saya looked for a moment like she was going to argue.  Then finally, she shrugged.

“Kay,” she said airily.

Saki's lips parted as she watched student and teacher walk off, Tenjoin briefly bowing to Chronos as she left.

“Whoa!” Nina said, making Saki squeal.  Where had she come from??  “Saya-senpai is in trouble?  I wonder what happened.”

“Well, I guess it's not our business,” Saki said, looking back at her pager.

Nina's hand, however, curled around Saki's elbow.

“Let's go!!” she said.

“W-wait!!”

Of course, there was no stopping Nina when she wanted to do something, and so Saki just kind of flapped along at the end of her grip, resigned to her fate.

Nina skidded to a stop in front of Tenjoin's office.

“Nina, we shouldn't be doing this,” Saki hissed.

“Shh!” Nina said.  She edged the door opened, peeking in.  “If we're quiet, we can listen.”

“Ninaaaa.”

Saki bit back a yelp when Miu appeared right next to her, leaning forward with one sleeve pressed against her mouth.  Oh geez, now Miu was interested?? They were going to get into so much trouble...

“What are you guys doing?”

Nina whipped around.

“SHHHH!” she said, making Saki clap her hands to her ears.

“Now who's being loud,” Saki muttered.

Minato blinked at them, raising an eyebrow.

“Spying?” they said.

“Maybe,” Nina said.  “Come on, you're interested in Saya-senpai's big secret, too, right?”

“What big secret?” Minato said.

“Shhh,” Nina said.  “They're talking.”

She leaned her ear to the crack in the door, and in spite of herself, Saki leaned forward too.  She couldn't forget that night near the beginning of the school year, when she had heard Judai and Saya talking about something...

Maybe...she'd learn something...

“Saya, you know, if you ever want to talk to someone, I’m here,” Saki heard Tenjoin say.

“Yessir, I do know that.”

“Saya-chan, please.  I know what you’re going through right now.  It’s okay to let people help.”

“With all due respect, sensei, I get that.  But you got your brother back.”

“Oh?  Saya’s missing a brother?” Nina whispered.

“Guys, should we be doing this?” Saki hissed back.  “This isn’t really our place to—”

She squeaked, then, because Nina was leaning too hard against the door, and Miu was pressing against Saki, and then Nina yelped when she fell against the door.  All three of them went tumbling to the ground, sprawling through the door.  Minato winced, the only one still standing.

“What on _earth_ ,” Tenjoin-sensei said.

Saki groaned as she tried to sit up, but Miu was on top of her, and Nina was underneath her, and she was stuck.  She felt her face go as red as her jacket, peeking up.

“Um,” she said.  “Sorry…”

Tenjoin-sensei shook her head, her tight bun bouncing.

“Were you kids eavesdropping?” she said.  “Honestly, I’m disappointed.”

Saya, however, laughed.  All of them looked at her.  She was laughing so hard that she bent over, clutching her stomach.

“You guys look ridiculous!” she said.  “That’s amazing—I can’t believe anyone actually falls like that.  It’s like a comedy routine!”

“Rude!” Nina said, scrambling up so fast that she sent Saki and Miu tumbling on either side of her.

“Orlando-san, you’re the one who’s been rude,” Tenjoin scolded.  “Honestly!  Eavesdropping like that.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Saya said, waving a hand as she continued to wheeze.  “It’s fine, I don’t care.  They can know if they want.”

“No, we were intruding, we’ll go!” Saki said, jumping to her knees.

“Nah, it’s fine, stick around,” Saya said, leaning back against Tenjoin’s desk.  “It’s not that big of a secret.”

She rubbed her finger under her nose.

“Saya-chan, I don’t think that’s the best idea,” Tenjoin said, looking a little upset.

“What?  It’s my story to tell, isn’t it?” Saya said.  “You guys remember my ghost story on the first night of school?”

“The…the one about how that old dorm was a place for experiments?” Minato said.

“That’s the one,” Saya said, sending them finger guns.  “Well, that was true.  It used to be used for that, yeaaaaars ago.  Back before Osiris was the special kids school—the honors dorm was that, instead.”

What? Saki thought, lips parting.

“See, my big sis?  She was like me, a little.  She could do stuff,” she said. “So they asked her to join the honors program.  She was soooo excited.”

Saya ran a hand through her hair, sending her side ponytail back over her back.

“She would call me all the time and tell me about what cool stuff they were doing, how she was learning how to mess with her powers as independent study,” Saya said.  Was…was it just Saki’s imagination, or did Saya sound…wistful?

“Only, that was when all the kids started vanishing from the honors dorm, one at a time,” Saya said.  “My sister was…maybe the fourth person to disappear.  And the school wouldn’t tell us anything.  They tried to cover it up.”

Tenjoin looked down at the table, her hands tightening on the desk.

“Ehh, don’t be like that, Tenjoin-sensei.  The school’s real different since then, yea?  Not like it was your fault.”

Saya shrugged.

“Anyway.  Eventually, the kids came back.  One at a time, like they had disappeared.”

“But your sister…” Nina started, looking, for the first time, very solemn and sad.

“She didn’t come back,” Saya said, nodding.  “Still hasn’t.  Heh, she’s probably a ghost haunting the old dorm by now.”

She smiled, rubbing a finger under her nose.  Saki slowly stood up, hand pressed against her chest.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.  “That’s awful…”

“It’s fine!  My sister really was having fun, so that’s probably what matters,” Saya said, laughing.  “Anyway, she loved ghost stories.  She’d probably be ecstatic to find out that she was one now, too.”

“Saya-chan…” Tenjoin said, softly.  She sounded so heartbroken, but Saya just smiled.

“Anyway, that’s my sad story!  And I’m fine, really, Tenjoin-sensei, everyone.  No need to have that sad face.”

She winked at Saki, and Saki tried not to show that she was about to cry.  What would that be like?  To lose someone so close to you…Saki was an only child, so she couldn’t even imagine.  But Saya just…kept smiling.  It wouldn’t be good if she started crying if Saya wasn’t.

“I’m sorry,” Saki said again.

Saya flashed her a smile.

“Like I said,” she said.  “It’s a-okay.”

*    *    *

Saya flopped over the railing, sighing.  The sunset painted the world with its bright oranges, making everything look like an impressionist painting.  She supposed she should be heading back to her dorm, but Saito had said something about playing Bloody Mary in their shared bathroom again and Saya was still recovering from the Ouija board session so she wasn’t in a hurry to get back to her room.

“O-oh…Saya-senpai?”

Saya blinked, glancing back over her shoulder.  Saki stood nervously on the path, a half melted ice cream in her hand.

“Hey, you,” Saya said, smiling.  “You just come from the snack bar?”

“Oh, yeah,” Saki said, glancing at her ice cream.  “Um…I just wanted to…um.”

Saya blinked. Then she realized it.  Ah…Saki must be feeling bad about today.

“Dude, it’s fine,” she said, smiling.  “For real!  I know people think I should be more sad about it.  Don’t get me wrong, I am.  But there’s no point in being too sad all the time, right?”

“I guess…you’re right,” Saki said, frowning.  “But I still feel bad that we kind of made you relive it.”

Saya shrugged.

“You’re good.  I decided to tell you, didn’t I?”

Saki just rubbed the back of her neck, looking a little uncomfortable.  Then she licked her lips, and took a step forward, her free hand up in a determined fist.

“I’m—I’m sure you’ll see her again someday!  Wherever she is…she’s got to come home eventually, right?  I’m sure you’ll meet her again.”

Saya smiled.  What a cute girl.  She was a sweetie.

“Thanks, Saki-chan,” Saya said.  “Oh—it’s all right if I call you that, right?  You can call me Saya.”

“O-oh, yeah, that’s fine,” Saki said, waving her hand.

Saya leaned her elbows back on the railing, glancing back at the ocean with the sun melting into it.  A breeze blew through them, sending her ponytail fluttering slightly.

“Hey, you wanna know a secret?” Saya said.

“Um…if you want to tell it,” Saki said.

Saya almost laughed.   This girl was a riot, really.  Saya ran a hand through her bangs, then let them flop back onto her forehead.

“I should technically be in the oracle class, too,” Saya said.  “I mean, I’ve got the alchemy powers, but I’ve also got some oracle powers.”

“Oh…why aren’t you in both, then?” Saki asked.

Saya shrugged.

“I don’t want to, basically,” she said.  “My oracle classified power is…well.”

She frowned.  Was…was her throat getting tight?  That wasn’t like her.  She coughed to clear it.

“I used to have dreams from my sister’s point of view,” Saya said.  “Even before she disappeared.  She told me that she’d have dreams from my eyes too.  Sometimes I’d open my eyes and find myself at Duel Academy while she was still here.”

She gestured out at the ocean.

“And when she vanished…I still had dreams like I was her.  Only I was in some weird, creepy places.  Walking around through dark canyons, under gloomy skies, seeing scary monsters.”

Saki gripped her hand against her chest.

“You mean…”

“I saw a lot of spooky stuff from her eyes,” Saya said. “My parents thought I was depressed, because I would sleep all the time.  Natural, when your big sis vanishes, right?  But I was just trying to dream more.  I was just trying to figure out where she had gone.”

No, she wasn’t imagining it…she was getting a little teary eyed.  She wiped it away quickly, before Saki could see.

“I saw a lot of demon creatures.  My sister was always trying to hide from them.  One day I saw an entire army of monsters.  And behind them, there was this guy—all in this black armor.  Even from the distance I could see his eyes were gold.  And my sister was scared of him.”

Saya rubbed a hand under her nose.  She wouldn’t tell Saki anything else.  The rest of it wasn’t hers to talk about.

“Anyway.  That was the last dream I had.  Not a single one afterward.”

She looked at Saki, and suddenly felt a little guilty.  Saki looked so stricken.  Saya forced a wider smile.  She probably shouldn’t have told Saki any of this.  Somehow, she had just started talking.

“I’m glad, though,” she said.  “You’re one of the first people who’ve said you believe so hard that I’ll see her again.  So thanks.”

“S-Saya-senpai…”

“You can just call me Saya,” Saya said, saluting with two fingers as she pushed off the railing.  “Anyway…sorry to ramble.  Have a good night, Saki-chan.”

She shoved her hands in her pockets, and walked away through the slowly cooling twilight.  If she kept her back to Saki, hopefully, the girl wouldn’t see her cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ehhh the prompt got a little lost in there, but hey, Asuka is here, and she's a teacher! Right?? ^^;;


	13. The Eccentricity of Magicians – Unit Two’s Advisor FINALLY Appears!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taiki is more than prepared for when his class advisor shows up: his bag is full of the odds and ends that his books tell him are needed for magic. However, when the mysterious new dorm advisor finally shows up, Taiki will learn that it's the item he didn't think he'd need that will be most important for magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: School Bags

“T-Taro-kun!  Wait up!”

Taiki struggled to drag his heavy bag from his desk, pulling it over his shoulder.  He groaned.  It was so heavy that he could barely walk normally—much less keep up with his roommate, who had already bolted out the door.

Taro returned once Taiki managed to get out of the door, however, pounding back up the steps and skidding to a stop.

“What’s the hold up?” he asked.  “Oh!  You have your heavy bag today.”

“I have my heavy bag _every day_ , Taro-kun,” Taiki said, grimacing.  He shifted the bag to his back so he could lock the door.

In a flurry that Taiki was already used to by now, Taro snatched the bag and wrestled it off of Taiki’s shoulders, plopping it onto his own shoulder next to his own bag.

“Ugh!  It’s heavier than usual,” Taro said. “What do you bring with you??”

“You don’t have to carry it,” Taiki said half-heartedly.  Taro had not stopped insisting on carrying his bag for him since the first week of school.  Taiki wasn’t exactly going to argue, especially not with a boy nearly twice his height.

“Nonsense!!  I am Shiba-Warrior Taro, the greatest adventurer in all twelve dimensions!  I can carry your bag, no problem.”

“Well, thanks, I guess,” Taiki said.

Taro trotted ahead of him, his tail wagging almost uncontrollably.  Taiki wondered what it would be like to have a tail.

“What _do_ you carry with you, though?” Taro said. “This is a lot more than I have!”

“Just…stuff,” Taiki said, flushing.  “Random stuff.  That we might need if the magician and alchemy advisor ever shows up.”

“Oh,” Taro said. “Yeah, that advisor hasn’t been here yet, right?  It’s been weeks.”

“I know,” Taiki said, frowning.

It wasn’t that studying with Andersen-sensei was bad, but he definitely wasn’t really in his element.  He did his best, but he wasn’t a magician or an alchemist.  He couldn’t really help them, except to show them resources in the library where the slowly growing collection of magical books was.

They reached the beach.  Half the class was already there.

“Taiki-kuuuuun!”

Saya squealed, throwing her arms around him in a big hug.

“S-Saya-senpai,” Taiki squeaked.  “Choking…”

“Ahh sorry,” Saya said, bouncing back.  “You’re just so cute, I can’t help myself.”

“Thanks,” Taiki said, flushing a bit.  Not for the first time, he wished that he didn’t look twelve.  He was fifteen already!  Nobody hugged Taro like that.  He actually looked his age.

“You got this for now?” Taro said, heaving Taiki’s bag from his shoulder.

“I do, thanks,” Taiki said.

“Great!  See you for history.”

He scurried across to meet his own class, leaving Taiki with the others.  Taiki glanced up at his fellow classmates.

He was the only first year in unit two.  There was only one second year, and two third years, so he supposed next year, if they didn’t get any new students in their group, it would be only him and Ren-senpai.  Which, Taiki wasn’t sure was a good thing or not.  Akiyama Ren was a magician, like Taiki, while Saya and Isamu were alchemists.  He was tall, but not quite as tall as Taro; with somewhat messy blond hair that never seemed to lie flat, no matter how hard he tried.  His sour expression didn’t match the big pink flower he wore in his hair at all—Taiki wasn’t sure he should ask why he had a flower.

“What on earth do you bring with you?” Ren said, folding his arms.

“Um…magic stuff,” Taiki said.  “I’ve been reading that one book, The Art and Channeling of Magic.”

“Ah,” Ren said.  “Let me guess: you’ve got the ‘essentials kit’ with you.”

“Yeah…”

“You know we won’t be able to really use it until our dorm advisor gets here, right?  You don’t  have to drag that stuff with you everywhere.”

“Our little Taiki-kun is just so prepared!” Saya said, laughing as she clapped Taiki on the shoulder.  “Putting his senpai to shame, here!”

Mori Isamu just grunted.  Taiki didn’t know what to think of the other alchemist.  He didn’t talk much, and his face was even sourer than Ren’s.  He was a very tall young man, broad and with muscled arms.  Basically, he was the kind of person Taiki wished he looked like, but instead, he was stuck with a baby face.  Maybe he’d learn some magic that would make him look older, someday.

“All right everyone, I have some good news for you,” Andersen-sensei said, clapping his hands to get their attention.  “Unit Two’s advisor is finally here.”

“Bout time,” Yuki-sensei said, rolling his eyes.

“She’s late every year,” Saya whispered to Taiki.

“Go ahead and introduce yourself,” Andersen-sensei said.

Taiki pressed up on his toes to see around everyone.  Where was she?  Where was the dorm advisor?

“I said, please introduce yourself,” Andersen-sensei said, sounding…very tired.

There was a sudden clapping sound, like a firework going off.  The air rippled and flashed, and a million colors swirled in a rainbow tornado.  Then all at once, the tornado burst apart, revealing a person standing on the beach.

“Hello!!” she said, waving brightly.  “Nice to meet you all!”

There was something…very familiar about her, Taiki thought.  He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. 

She was a little bit short, at least, shorter than Yuki and Andersen.  She had a bit of a roundness to her shape, which was enhanced by the long red Osiris coat she was wearing, like Hibiki-sensei.  Her green eyes sparkled from a round, childish face, pale cheeks a little pink with excitement.  Her long blond hair flipped up at the edges, making her look whimsical and soft.

“This is Dawn Grey,” Andersen-sensei said.  “She’ll be your teacher in the magician and alchemist group.”

“Dawn _Marisa_ Grey,” the woman corrected.  “You guys can all call me Dawn!”

“Hang on!”

Nina’s hand flung up from one of the other groups.  Before she was called on, she was already talking.

“You’re not—you’re the Dark Magician Girl, aren’t you?”

Dawn giggled, putting her hands to her cheeks.

“You’re right!  That’s me,” she said.  “I’m impressed; it usually takes people a few more minutes to figure that out!”

The Dark Magician Girl??  Taiki knew about her.  She was a very popular mascot character in Duel Monsters, but her card was rare.  There was supposedly only one in the world, and it was in the deck of Mutou Yugi, the legendary duel champion who had ended up disappearing from the dueling circuits, without anyone ever officially taking his title.

But how was she here?  Taiki knew, reasonably, that there were Duel Spirits around in the real world—heck, he lived with one.  But a spirit like the Dark Magician Girl…

“Judai-kun and I are friends, so as a special favor I’ve been the unit two advisor for three years now!” she said, bouncing on her heels.  “Sorry about the wait, by the way!  I have another job that keeps me reaaaal busy.  So I might still be in and out sometimes!”

“She’s a riot,” Saya whispered to Taiki.  “You’ll like her.”

“Well, there you go,” Andersen-sensei said, clapping his hands.  “Now that we finally have all of our teachers, hopefully you guys will all be able to start working towards your goals.  That’s it from me, so unit two, you’re free to head over to Dawn.”

Saya grabbed Taiki’s arm, and it was all Taiki could do to grab his bag and drag it after him.

“Hey guys!” Dawn said.  “Ren-kun, Mori-kun, I see you guys still look like someone spit in your rice!  And Saya-chan~!! It’s good to see you!”

“Hey, Dawn-sensei,” Saya said, smiling wide. “Look!  We’ve got a first-year!”

She dragged Taiki around in front of her, putting her hands on his shoulders as though she were his proud parent or something.

Dawn’s eyes sparkled.

“Ah!! That’s great! What’s your name?”

“U-um.  I’m Hayashi Taiki, ma’am,” Taiki said, bowing quickly.

“It’s great to meet you, Hayashi-kun!”

She stuck her hand out, and after a beat, Taiki realized she was wanting to shake hands.  Taiki briefly gripped her hand as she pumped his up and down.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun!  Okay, so…you’re new, so I’ll have to get you started.  Ren-kun, why don’t you help?  Mori-kun, Saya-chan, I have some stuff that you can work on to practice while we get Taiki’s first few things sorted out.”

“Hell yea,” Saya said, pumping her hands into the air.

Dawn clapped her hands together and when she drew them apart, a book appeared with a puff of smoke.  Ooh, Taiki thought, eyes widening.  So this was real magic!  Dawn clapped both hands onto the book and then pulled her hands apart again, and this time, it was two, smaller books.  She passed those to Mori and Saya.

“Okay, Hayashi-kun, you’re with me,” Dawn said, beckoning.  “Ren-kun, you too!”

She walked backwards a bit before flopping into the sand.  Taiki followed quickly, dragging his bag after him.

“Whoa, that looks heavy,” Dawn said.  “What d’you got in there?”

Taiki flushed a bit, sitting down across from Dawn as Ren also sat down. 

“Um…I was reading one of the books that Andersen-sensei shared with us, and it had a sort of essentials kit—”

“Oh!!” Dawn said, clapping her hands together.  “I wrote that book!!  Ren-kun’s never paid any attention to it.”

She stuck her tongue out at Ren, who just huffed, folding his arms.  Was this girl really a teacher?  She was so informal.

“You’re the first person to actually make the kit I recommended! Let me see, let me see!”

Blushing, Taiki opened up his bag and took out the instruments.  The book had recommended a lot of things depending on magic branch, but…he didn’t know what kind of magician he was yet, so he had just gathered everything he could.

“Paper and ink for magic circles, nice,” Dawn said, counting off the items.  “Oh, wow, you got yourself a full crystal collection, too.  And several containers of different kinds of barks and powders…you’re really prepared!”

“I…I didn’t know what I should have with me, you know,” Taiki said.

“There’s nothing wrong with being extra prepared!” Dawn said.  “But first things first—we need to find you your staff!”

Taiki immediately sat forward, interested.  The book he had been reading had talked about staffs—they were essential to proper magic.  Without one to act as a channel, magic could go haywire very quickly and easily, and create unintended effects.  He had been worried enough that he hadn’t tried to practice any spells since the first day when he animated his Naturia Strawberry plush.  The book, however, didn’t have any clues about how to find or create a staff.

“So, a staff is—”

“It’s a magical channel,” Taiki said, excited in spite of himself.  “O-oh, sorry…”

“No, no, it’s okay! Your enthusiasm is great!”

Dawn glared pointedly at Ren, and Ren rolled his eyes.

“Sorry I didn’t read your book, okay?” he said.  “I’m busy, you know.”

“Too busy for homework?” Dawn said, pouting at him.  “Anyway.  A staff.”

“Do I have to make one myself, or is it something you find?” Taiki asked.

“Well, first off, stop thinking that it has to necessarily be a ‘staff’,” Dawn said.

“Huh?”

Dawn looked over at Ren.

“Ren-kun, would you show Hayashi-kun yours?”

Ren nodded.  He reached up and plucked the flower from his hair—oh, Taiki realized.  It was a hair clip.  Some of Ren’s hair slid down his forehead as it came free of the pin.

“This is my staff,” he said.  “It’s a clip my little sisters gave to me before I left for Duel Academy.”

“You have sisters?” Taiki said.

Ren grimaced.

“Eight of them,” he said.  “It’s a nuthouse back home.”

Still, some of his sour expression seemed to fade, and a faint smile even came to his face.  Taiki smiled.  Ren must really love his little sisters.

“So that’s your magic staff?” Taiki asked.

“Yup.  Take a look.”

He palmed the clip in one hand, and whispered something under his breath.  Immediately, a small flame sprouted from the center of the flower, flickering like a candle.

“Whoa,” Taiki said, breathing out with awe.

“A staff can, and usually is, a wand-like instrument,” Dawn said, putting on a teacher’s sort of voice.  “But it doesn’t have to be!  A channel can be anything that you have a lot of emotional attachment to.  Back in the day, we’d carve up staffs ourselves, and then inset our most prized possession into it, or at least a piece of it.”

Dawn clapped her hands, and a long rod appeared.  It was curved and curly at the time, and at the bottom, there was a small round sphere.  Dawn turned the rod over and gripped the sphere, unscrewing it.

“See?” she said, turning the removed sphere towards Taiki.  He leaned forward—inside, there was…something that looked like piece of broken pottery.

“This was from a vase,” she said.  “From a very important time in my life.  It works well as a channel.”

She put the piece back onto her rod, and tossed it upwards, where it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“So, Hayashi-kun!  Is there anything you have that you think would be a good emotional channel for you?”

Taiki hummed, folding his arms and thinking about it.  There had to be something, right?  Something that he brought with him from home…

He blushed, then.

“What?  What’s wrong?  Did you think of something?”

“It’s embarrassing,” Taiki mumbled.

“Kid,” Ren said.  “My channel is a flower clip.  Apparently that’s also supposed to be embarrassing.”

Taiki blushed further, but both Dawn and Ren were waiting, so he reached into his bag.  He carefully edged out the strawberry plush.

“Oh!” Dawn said, clapping her hands.  “I can sense the emotional resonance—that’s perfect!”

“It won’t be…stupid for me to cast spells with a doll?” Taiki said, still blushing.

Ren just pointed silently to the flower in his hair.  Taiki looked down, feeling even more embarrassed.

“Regardless if other people will think it’s embarrassing,” Ren said then.  “It’s important to you, isn’t it?”

Taiki looked down at the silly little plush in his arms.  Sometimes, he didn’t like it.  He already looked like a child, and carrying this thing around didn’t help matters.  But…he bit his lip.

“It was the last thing my mom bought for me,” he mumbled.  “Before uh…before the cancer came back.”

No one spoke for a moment.  Then he felt Dawn patting his knee softly.

“If you think it’s important, then it is,” she said.

Taiki nodded quickly.  He wiped the tears from his eyes before anyone else would see them, and then hugged the plush to his chest, looking up.

“So, uh, what do we do now?”

Dawn nodded.

“Now, to confirm it as your staff, there’s an incantation you’ll need to do,” Dawn said.  “So put it on the ground in front of you, and make sure you get everything else out of the way.  You don’t want the spell to get confused by anything else.”

Taiki moved all of his things back into his bag, and put them aside.  He set it behind him.

“Place the object in front of you.  Then I want you to look just at the object.  Think about what it means to you, and think about how that will become a part of the magic that you want to create.  Imagine that it’s hollow, and you’re filling it up with what it means to you, and what you want from the magic.”

Taiki stared at the plush, and it stared back.  He thought about his mom—she always had a really nice smile, and made the best strawberry shortcake.  She bought him this plush because she knew it was Duel Monsters.  She thought it must be from the deck that he played since it was a plant, and he hadn’t had the heart to tell her he played Sylvans, not Naturias.

He had first cast his first spell by accident.  He wanted his mom to smile again, but it was hard.  She was in a lot of pain, and the doctors were so slow with the painkillers.  So he had set his plush on her lap, and willed it to do something funny.  And then before both of their eyes, it had come alive, sitting up and bouncing around like it was trying to dance.

He had never seen his mother laugh so hard before or after.

 _I want to make people happy and help people with magic,_ he thought.  _That’s what I want._

He felt something pop in the back of his head, like a faint fire cracker.

“There you go!” Dawn said. “It’s your staff now.”

That easy?  Taiki came back to himself, and picked up the plush.  It didn’t feel much different than normal.

“Congrats, you’ve taken your first big step in learning to use magic,” Dawn said, giggling.  “How do you feel?”

Taiki blinked back a tear he hadn’t realized was growing in his eye.  He gave his plush a quick hug.

“Feels pretty cool,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taiki's a dear <3


	14. The Color of the Rainbow – The Future is in the Stones!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin wants to practice their lithomancy in a new way, and Hanako is starting to wonder what kind of oracle power she has at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Favorite Monster

“Thank you so much for letting us do this, Andersen-sensei,” Lin said. They tried to bow, but it was difficult with their crutches. Hanako put a hand on their back, and Andersen just smiled and waved.

“Of course, it’s not a problem! I’d be really interested in seeing your practice work, anyway.”

It was, technically, a day off school. For once, Hanako wasn't in her uniform. She was a bit happy about that—she had never much liked the color red. Instead, she wore a pale yellow sundress with puffy sleeves and a white collar. It matched her hair better, she thought. Her senpai Lin was in a baggy, shapeless black sweater and dark jeans, their long dark blue-black hair in a low ponytail at the end of their hair like usual.

“Do you want to sit down, senpai?” she asked.

“Probably,” Lin said, looking a bit strained. “Sorry, it's a bit bad today. Must be the season changing on the wind.”

Hanako nodded. She put one hand under their arm, and helped them sit down carefully on a rock. They crossed their crutches in front of them with a sigh. Some days, they didn't need the braces clamped around their arms, but the last few days had been tough ones for her senpai.

“It'll be a moment before I can summon them,” Andersen-sensei said, glancing back over his shoulder. “Sorry about that.”

“No, we're not in a rush,” Lin said quickly.

“Take your time, sensei,” Hanako said.

Andersen-sensei smiled and nodded, then turned away to concentrate. Hanako sat herself down on the rock beside Lin to wait, folding her hands into her lap.

These past weeks at Duel Academia certainly had been fascinating ones, she thought. To think, she almost hadn't come. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have known that there were people like her, people who got flashes of the future or of the present in other places. She could hardly imagine it now

Lin drummed their fingers against the rock softly, in a very particular pattern.

“Don't tell me,” Lin said, still drumming. “You're thinking about....about...”

Hanako smiled, waiting for Lin to guess.

“Ah! You're thinking about your aunt again. About why you decided to come to Duel Academia.”

“You got it,” Hanako said, smiling. “But I think that was more of a lucky guess than an actual reading.”

Lin smiled faintly. They always seemed a little weak and shaky, even when they were smiling. It made Hanako want to try and do something about it, not that she knew what.

“So how are your studies going?” Lin asked. “Have you figured out any kind of specialty?”

“No,” Hanako said, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. “Nothing really seems to be...coming together, you know?”

“What were you trying this week?”

“Saya-senpai said there was a kind of fortune-telling you could do with crochet...I like crocheting, so I was trying to find more concrete information about.”

“Did you find anything?”

“No,” Hanako said, sighing. “I think Saya-senpai was messing with me again.”

Lin laughed softly. Something about their laugh always sounded faintly nervous, and Hanako really just wanted to comfort them and tell them it was going to be okay. Not that she knew for sure that Lin felt like it wasn't—maybe that was just what their laugh sounded like.

“She loves to do that,” they said, still drumming their fingers on the rock. “Well, don't worry. I'm sure you'll find something.”

This time, they definitely sounded a little nervous. Hanako wondered if Lin-senpai felt pressured, at all. They were the only other oracle in Osiris Red right now, and Hanako's senior. Maybe they felt anxious to help.

“Yeah, I'm sure,” Hanako said, smiling. “But I'm really looking forward to seeing you at work, Lin-senpai!”

Lin blushed faintly.

“It's not all that exciting,” they said. “I'll really only be staring at the light a bit and then coming up with some conclusions.”

“Still, I've never seen you do it,” Hanako said.

“Ah! Hang on kids, here they come.”

Lin and Hanako both jolted up, eyes towards the air in front of Andersen-sensei.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the sand started to swirl softly, and the air itself seemed to pinch inwards on itself. A long, snake like shape appeared in the air, twisting and pulling the light in on itself into a prismatic tube that seemed to shine with rainbow colors, like the light reflecting off the surface of a bubble.

Hanako could not hide her awed gasp as the creature appeared from that prism, shining in the light of the sun.

She had not been prepared, she thought, looking up dizzily at the great dragon. It was huge, probably big enough to wrap around the top dome of Duel Academia. Light sparkled in rainbow shimmers against its white scales, and practically set the gems all down its length afire. Marvelous white wings spread outwards, feathers glinting as though made from platinum.

“There you are, old friend,” Andersen-sensei said. “Easy now...the sun is a little different here, isn't it?”

The giant head swung down towards Andersen-sensei, and their teacher laughed softly as he scratched the dragon on the nose. The dragon actually closed its eyes as though greatly enjoying the sensation.

“All right, I can't keep them here in this plane for incredibly long,” Andersen-sensei said, looking back at them. “Lin-san, if you'd like to give it a go now, that'd be great.”

“Yes, sir!” Lin said, pushing his crutches beneath them for support. Hanako hovered just in case they wanted help, but didn't push as Lin limped as quickly as they could towards the dragon.

For a moment, both she and they could only stare upwards with awe. But then Hanako glanced at Lin and she saw that their face had gone quiet, lips pressing together. Their eyes narrowed, following the lines of the light that passed through the gems down to the sand below, where it glittered like split rainbows in the grains.

“Amazing,” Lin said, leaning down as far as they could on their crutches to examine where the light passed through the gems on the dragon's side. “These are the absolute clearest readings I've ever gotten. I had theorized that the dragon's gems must be the most pure and intense compared to other, naturally occuring gemstones, but...”

Hanako followed Lin's gaze, and tried to see what they were seeing. She was supposed to be an oracle, but...nothing sprung to her head. It just looked like pretty lights.

“So...what kind of things are you seeing?” she asked.

“Mmm...I think it would be clearer if I had some kind of question to ask,” Lin said. “Do you have anything?”

“Um...how will this year turn out?”

“Hmm.”

Lin squinted, looking up at the dragon and then down at the light again. They nodded slowly.

“It looks like...something big will happen at the graduation duel this year,” they said. “But there are two very clear possibilities—one ends in disaster, the other, in something...in something that someone has been waiting for, for a very long time.”

“That's a little vague,” Hanako said.

“Mm...yes,” Lin said, sounding distant, as though they hadn't heard what Hanako had said. “It seems everything hinges on...it hinges on one monster being in the right place at the right time. But which monster? That's...hm. That's still changing.”

“Sorry, Lin-san, I can't hold them any longer,” Andersen-sensei said suddenly.

Just as beautifully as the creature had appeared, it faded. It disappeared into crystalline light and a shimmer of wind, that lingered for a few moments before the sun evaporated it. The rainbow light was gone from the sand, and the beautiful dragon with it.

Lin seemed to come out of some kind of trance.

“Oh my,” they said. “Well...that was quite fascinating. Thank you again, sensei, for letting me try this.”

“Not a problem,” Andersen-sensei said, as he walked back over to them with a smile. “Learn anything interesting?”

“Some things, but nothing makes much sense without later context,” Lin said. “Hm. I think I'll have to do some extra readings later.”

They looked distant, and then seemed to remember that Hanako was there.

“Oh! Hanako-chan, what did you think? Did you get anything out of that?”

Hanako grimaced.

“No,” she said. “Not really.”

Maybe she didn't have any special powers after all, she thought suddenly, her heart fluttering. Her aunt owned a small occult shop, and had taught her how to do tarot readings. She used to have visions sometimes, but not since she had come to Duel Academia. And she couldn't seem to find a 'specialty' of her abilities, not like Lin had...they could read the future in the sparkle light passing through gemstones, but to her, it was just a pretty light show.

“Don't worry about it,” Andersen-sensei said, patting her on the shoulder. “Our abilities sometimes take some time to appear.”

But the moment Hanako felt Andersen-sensei's hand on her shoulder, she wasn't on the beach anymore. She blinked. Had it...just gotten dark? Oh goodness...it was _cold_...

She shivered. She wanted to hug her arms to herself, but she couldn't move. Why couldn't she move? Everything was cold, and dark, and gray. A barren landscape of black, craggy canyons looked back at her—save for the mysterious rock formations on all sides of her, she couldn't see anything or anyone. Where was this place?

She heard a faint scrabbling then—the sound of feet on a rocky ground. She couldn't even turn her head. But she didn't end up needing to, as the owner of the feet appeared around a rock face. They looked worn, and exhausted, their brownish skin scuffed and dirtied with black dust. Tired amber-gold eyes looked around from under a matted mess of bangs that might have been auburn colored at one point, but were just black with dust and dirt now. She looked a little older than Hanako, maybe around Lin's age, and she glanced back over her shoulder, looking scared. Who was this girl? What was she doing in a place like this?

And then Hanako gasped, because someone else walked around another crag, and paused when he saw the girl, blinking.

Wasn't that...Andersen-sensei?

It definitely was, but a much, much younger Andersen-sensei. He looked about Hanako's age, with a round, childish face and his hair a bit shorter than it was now. And his eyes were...wrong. They glowed a deep, animalistic yellow-orange, as though it weren't him at all looking out from his own eyes.

He hesitated, blinking at the girl, who froze when she saw him. For a moment, the two just stared at each other. Then the girl spoke.

“Please,” she whispered. “I need to go home.”

“Hanako? Hanako-chan!”

Hanako blinked, and the sunny beach blinded her. She squinted against it before Lin's head leaned down over her, looking nervous.

“Are you okay? You just spaced out there for a moment.”

Hanako couldn't speak for a moment; her throat was dry and dusty.

“I...” she started. “I think I had some kind of vision.”

She squinted again.

“A-Andersen-sensei,” she said. “I think I saw you...but you were younger?”

Andersen-sensei leaned to stand in front of her, lips parting with curiosity.

“What else?” he said.

“You were in this big black landscape...and there was a girl there, too. Oh, and you—you had orangey eyes?” Hanako wrinkled her nose. “I don't know, I don't think it makes any sense.”

But Andersen-sensei went briefly white. He squeezed her shoulder briefly.

“Andersen-sensei?”

He didn't respond for a moment, biting his lip.

“Hanako-chan,” he said. “I...I have to go talk with Yuki-sensei. But would you please remember that vision? I think it oculd be important.”

Something about the worry in Johan's voice made Hanako stiffen up. What kind of vision had she had?

But she didn't' get a chance to ask anymore questions, because Andersen-sensei gave them both a strained smile, before turning around and walking away. Hanako could only watch him leave.

After he was gone, Lin turned to Hanako, smiling.

“Hey,” he said. “I think I might know what your specialty could be.”

“Huh? What?”

“You reacted when Andersen-sensei touched you,” he said. “Maybe your visions are triggered by physical contact with people.”

Hanako's lips parted. Actually...in hindsight...

“That...might make sense,” she said.

“Want to see if it's true?” Lin said. “Let's ask some of the others to help you practice.”

Hanako smiled—Lin's soft smile was contagious.

“Sure,” she said. She could save that scary vision for later, when Andersen-sensei wanted to talk about it again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my fave monster is definitely Rainbow Dragon! It's just so pretty !! (and also it's gay lol)
> 
> And lol there's some more plot...as far as plot actually goes in this story lol. This is very much like the first season of GX in its plot XD


	15. The Ghostly Combo! Saki and Miu vs Reina and Saito

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for midterms, and this year's exam is a tag duel! Will Saki and Miu be able to overcome Reina and Saito's deadly ghost combo?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Design a monster

“Hey, hey, guys!  We got our tag duel assignments for the exam!”

Nina hopped up and down on top of a table, waving her hands in the air.  Minato sighed, rubbing a hand down their face.

“Is she embarrassing, or what?” they said.

“Tell me about it,” Saki said, laughing a little.

The two of them walked towards her anyway, making their way through the crowd of students who all gathered around the big boards.  Midterm exams were coming up, and this year, it seemed, they were doing a tag duel test.  So they had to be randomly assigned both partners, and opponents.

Miu was sitting perched on the bench of the table Nina had commandeered, snacking on what appeared to be an entire slice of cake.  The crumbs were scattered all over her skirt, and she had frosting on one lip.

“Miu, you’ve got something there,” Saki said, gesturing.

“Miu will get it later,” Miu said.

“Did you already check your assignment?” Minato asked.

“Mm-mm.  Miu doesn’t care.  Miu’ll just duel as best as Miu can.”

Minato chuckled.

“Sounds like you,” they said.  “I’m gonna see if I can get a glimpse through all this.”

“Minato, you’re with Taiki!” Nina said, going up on her tip toes.  “Aaand…you’re against Saya and Maristella.”

“Aw, damn, third-years?” Minato said, grimacing. “Well, Taiki’s not bad.  This should work out.”

“I’m with Akiara-chan!  We’re against Ji-U and Lindbloom,” Nina said, punching the air.  “Awright!”

“Can you see for me or Miu?” Saki said.

“Gimme a sec…yea!  Oh, lucky, you and Miu are together!”

“Whoa, nice,” said Saki.  “That’s great, right Miu?”

Miu nodded.  She looked happy despite having said she didn’t care before.

“And who are we facing?” Saki said.

“Umm….looks like…” Nina said.  “Togo Reina, and Saito Hibike.”

Saki’s good cheer immediately evaporated.

“Those two got assigned together?” she said.  “Oh no…”

“Damn, good luck and bad luck all at once,” Minato said.  “Would that just end up being…normal luck then?”

“Ugh, I hate their ghosts,” Saki said, feeling pale.  “Saito-senpai is going to say creepy things to me, I just know it.”

“Hang in there,” Nina said, plopping to sit on top of the table and patting Saki on the shoulder.  “You and Miu are a great combo!  We’ll cheer you on.”

Saki sighed, feeling her shoulders slump.

“Thanks,” she said half-heartedly.

She tried to smile at Miu.

“Let’s give it our best, huh?” she said, holding out her fist for a fist bump.

Miu nodded, crumbs coming off of her chin and onto her lap.

“Let’s do our best,” she said, bumping Saki’s hand back.

*    *    *

“All right,” Chronos-sensei called out over his loudspeaker.  “Let me remind you all of the rules again.  In this tag duel, you will share life points, fields, and graveyards.  So keep all of that in mind!”

“You’ll be graded not on whether you win or lose, but on how well you utilize each other’s resources and work together,” Tenjoin-sensei said.

“Go, Saki!!” Nina shouted from the stands.  “Go, Miu-chan!”

Saki swallowed, and tried to smile at her friends.  Minato sent her an air fist bump, and she returned it.  She tried not to look across where Reina and Saito were waiting.

“Hey, firsties!” Saito shouted across the field.  “Ready to lose?”

“And I’ll be taking off points for poor sportsmanship!” Tenjoin-sensei said, glaring at Saito.

Saito just waved her hands, grinning.  Saki groaned softly.

“This is gonna be bad…” she mumbled.

She felt a hand grip hers, then, and looked down to see Miu looking up at her.

“Hang in there,” she said. “Fight, Saki, fight.”

She said it in such a monotone voice like she usually did, that Saki couldn’t help but giggle.

“Thanks, Miu-chan,” she said.  “Let’s do this, huh?”

Miu smiled faintly and nodded.  She released Saki’s hand and walked over to take her spot on the floor.  Saki took her position as well.  Almost as one, all four of them turned on their Duel Disks.

“Duel!” they called out.

Saki drew her first five cards, looking them over.

“Yamaguchi Saki-san, you’ll be going first,” Chronos-sensei called through his loudspeaker.  “No one gets to attack until your next turn!”

Not what Saki really wanted; she preferred other people to go first so she could judge what they were doing.  She didn’t know Reina’s or Saito’s decks very well.  Oh well, it didn’t matter if they won: just if they did their best and worked together.

“All right,” she said.  “I summon Robot Buster Destruction Sword in attack mode!”

The light flashed across the field as her monster leaped to life.  The fluffy, six-legged cat-dragon looked like her Buster Whelp, but a little bit bigger, and with a giant glowing red sword in its mouth.

“Then, I activate Emblem of Dragon Destroyer to add one Buster Blader from my deck to my hand!”

She sent the card to the graveyard, and then her deck poked out a new card.  She added the Buster Blader to her hand.

“That’s all for me, I end my turn,” Saki said.  “Sorry, I know it’s not much, Miu.”

“It’s fine,” Miu said.  “Miu can work with it.”

“Togo Reina-san is next,” Chronos-sensei barked.

“Togo Reina-san is next,” Reina repeated, in her usual copycat fashion.  She drew a card and looked at it.  Then she nodded, set three cards, and pressed the end phase button on her Duel Disk.  She nodded at Saito, her bangs bouncing over her eyes.

“Thanks, Reina-chan,” Saito said, throwing her a thumb’s up.

“It looks like they have a strategy already,” Saki said.  “Be careful, Miu.”

Miu nodded.

“Miu’s turn,” she said, drawing.  “Miu summons Madolche Mewfeuille in attack mode.”

Her little cat appeared on the field.  It yawned before stretching and standing up, looking as sleepy as Miu.

“Madolche Mewfeuille’s effect activates.  Miu can special summon a Madolche monster from Miu’s hand.  Miu summons Madolche Messengelato.”

Mewfeuille yawned again, and then meowed softly.  As though coming to the call, a new monster appeared—a tiny little boy with messy blue hair under his messenger cap.

“When Madolche Messengelato is special summoned, and there’s a beast-type Madolche on the field, Miu can add one Madolche spell to Miu’s hand.”

Messengelato leaned down to pat Mewfeuille on the head, who meowed again.  Then Messengelato tugged a letter from his pack, and flung it up into the air where it exploded into sparkles. Miu’s deck poked out a new card, and she slid it free.

“Miu activates it right away—Madolche Chateau.”

The field around them rippled, and then it sprouted upwards.  Saki leaped back a bit as the ground beneath her feet became like a thick layer of chocolate cookies. Behind them, a huge house appeared, made of cakes and cupcakes all glued together with frosting.

“Madolche monsters get five hundred attack, and if a Madolche monster would be returned to the deck, Miu can add it to Miu’s hand instead.”

“Nice one, Miu!” Saki said, throwing her a thumb’s up.

“NICE CAKE HOUSE MIU!!” Nina shouted from the stands.

Miu smiled a little.

“Miu sets one card and then Miu’s turn ends,” she said.

All right.  The only one left was Saito.  Saki turned her eyes to their opponent—Saito was definitely the one to watch.  Saki had never had a chance to see her deck or her dueling, but she had been consistently up in the ranks near Obelisk students after regular tests for the second-years.

As though reading Saki’s mind, Saito sent Saki a huge grin.

“My turn!” she said.  “First, I activate two facedowns!”

Miu blinked.

“But…she hasn’t set anything,” she said.

“We share a field, remember?” Saki said, just remembering now herself.  “That means she can use Reina’s face downs!”

“I activate two spell cards: both of them are Fiend’s Sanctuary!” Saito said.

The cards flipped over and glowed. 

“I get to special summon two Metal Fiend Tokens!”

From the spiral that grew on the floor like a demonic ritual, two strange, metal shapes appeared. They looked like artist’s models, faceless and shiny and reflecting Saki’s and Miu’s faces.

“And then I tribute both of them to summon from my hand,” Saito said.

“A tribute summon already?” Saki said, feeling her face go white.

“Let’s go!  Skull Flame!”

Saito slapped the card onto her disk, and immediately, the cake-land Miu had put together turned hot and fiery.  Fire spread out in a circle, melting both metal tokens.  The molten metal grew and swelled up into one shape, and then shattered to reveal the monster.  It was a hulking, worrying thing, much taller than any of the girls.  It wore ragged dark robes, and a massive shoulder piece that looked like it was carved from bones.  Fire glowed all down its head and back, making it look like a human torch.

“I activate Skull Flame’s effect!” Saito said.  “Once per turn, I can special summon a Burning Skull Head from my hand, but I have to skip my Battle Phase.”

She flipped the card from her hand and onto the disk.  Skull Flame raised its dark, clawed hands, and fire exploded around one palm.  Saki yelped in spite of herself as a skull appeared in the flames over his hand, clicking its teeth at her.

“Oh no, not ghosts,” she moaned, feeling briefly faint.

“Hang in there, Saki-chan, hang in there,” Miu said.

“When Burning Skull Head is special summoned, it deals one thousand points of effect damage!”

Oh _shit_.  The skull made a terrifying, creaky laugh sound, and then the fire around it exploded upwards, sending down a rain of fiery bits down over Saki and Miu.  Saki automatically threw her hands over her head, even though she knew it was just a hologram and neither of her opponents were psychic duelists.  Robot Buster hissed around its sword, ducking below the flames.

“That takes us to three thousand,” Saki said.  “We can still do this.”

Miu nodded as she too straightened  up.

“I’ll set three cards and end my turn!” said Saito.  “All right, Saki-chan, let’s see what you two can do against our combo!”

“Not much of a combo yet,” Saki said.  “My turn, draw!”

She glanced at the new card and smiled.  There it was!

“I summon Buster Whelp of the Destruction Swordsman!”

Angel appeared in a burst of light, chittering softly as he landed on all six feet and swished his tail.

“Buster Whelp’s effect!  I can add one card with Destruction Swordsman in the name to my hand!  And the card I choose is Destruction Swordsman Fusion!”

Angel let out a low, melodic keen, his fur standing on end and beginning to glow.  Saki’s deck glowed in response as she added the card to her hand.  Yes!  Now she could fusion summon with Buster Whelp and Buster Blader in her hand, and her Buster Blader fusion had more attack points than Skull Flame!

“Reina’s activating an effect!”

Saki’s eyes flashed up to see Reina.  The girl was already showing Saki a card, but from this distance, Saki couldn’t quite see it.

“By revealing one Ghost Reaper and Winter Cherries and then discarding it,” Saito explained for the silent Reina, “Reina can reveal one card in her Extra Deck.  Any card with the same name as it in all of our Extra Decks is banished!”

H-huh?  The only fusion monster that Saki had was Buster Blader, the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman.  And she was pretty sure neither of these two girls had that card.  So what was the point?

Reina slid Ghost Reaper and Winter Cherries into her graveyard.  Briefly, the little Shinigami girl appeared, swinging her scythe in a big loop.  Reina reached for her Extra Deck then, and pulled a card free. She flipped the card around to show off the…completely blank white surface?  Saki squinted.  Then she looked down at her Duel Disk readout to see what it was.

“Reina reveals the Synchro monster Copyghost,” Saito explained. 

“Synchro?” Saki repeated.  Oh damn, that was a really new summoning technique that was still being perfected.  The second-years had cards like that? Well, either way, she didn’t have a Copyghost in her Extra Deck…

“Copyghost’s effect: when it’s revealed from the Extra Deck, you can declare any card name, and Copyghost is treated as that card name while revealed,” Saito said.  “And Reina, you know what card you’re picking right?”

Saki felt the blood drain from her face.

“Dragon Destroyer Swordsman,” she said.  “Oh no!”

“Dragon Destroyer Swordsman,” Reina agreed, nodding.  “Oh no.”

Ghost Reaper swung her scythe upwards then, and a ghostly image of Saki’s Buster Blader fusion appeared.  She gasped as the ghost surged towards and through her.  Oh no…trying not to show that she was actually on the verge of crying, Saki removed her fusion from the Extra Deck and placed it in her deck box, out of play.

Reina placed Copyghost back into her Extra Deck.  Saito grinned.

“Don’t look so determined yet, we’re not done!” she said.  “I activate Reina’s third face down—Ring of Destruction!”

Oh no, she’d destroy one of their monsters!  Saki had to think of something—

“And the monster I destroy is Burning Skull Head!”

The explosive ring appeared around Burning Skull Head, and then exploded in a ring of fire.  Saki threw her hands up against the burst of smoke.

“You guys take Skull Head’s attack as damage: that’s another one thousand points of damage!”

“So do you!” Saki shouted back.

But as the smoke cleared, Saki saw that only one of them had lost life points.  She swore as she saw the spinning Ring of Defense fading away.  One of Saito’s face downs must have been that—damn, but they had their strategy down, didn’t they?  Saki and Miu were already at half their life points, and no one had even attacked yet!

“Anything else you’d like to try?” Saito said.

Saki quickly wiped at her eyes.  This was no time to get upset!  She still needed to have something to support Miu with.

“I activate Buster Whelp’s other effect,” she said.  “I can tribute this card to special summon a Buster Blader from my hand or Graveyard!”

Buster Whelp leaped into the air, glowing.  The glow grew and swelled, and when it fell away, Buster Blader stood on the field, holding out its massive sword in preparation for a fight.

 _They only have one monster on their field,_ Saki thought. _Skull Flame and Buster Blader have the same number of attack points.  So if I can destroy them together, Saito and Reina will be wide open for our other three monsters._

“Battle!” she declared. “Buster Blader attacks Skull Flame!”

“Not so fast,” Saito said, grinning.

“Not so fast,” Reina echoed.

“I activate Mirror Wall!  Attacking monsters lose half their attack!”

Buster Blader’s charge wobbled, and his sword drooped.  Oh no!  They’d take major damage, and then all it would take would be one more Burning Skull Head to finish them!

“Miu activates a trap,” Miu called out.  “Scrubbed Raid.  Miu destroys one card Miu controls to end the battle phase.  Miu chooses Madolche Mewfeuille.”

Madolche Mewfeuille leaped out of nowhere in between Skull Flame and Buster Blader.  It turned to light, and then shattered, and Buster Blader came to a stop before hitting his sword into Skull Flame.  He retreated back to the field before Saki.

“Whew…” Saki said.  “Thank you, Miu.”

Miu nodded.

“I’m sorry, I’m not doing much…I even made you destroy your partner,” Saki said.

Miu shook her head.

“It’s okay, Saki-chan.  Miu has a plan, and Mewfeuille is okay.”

She smiled at Saki and gave her a sleepy looking thumb’s up.  Saki smiled back in spite of herself.

“I’ll set one card, and end my turn,” she said.

Reina nodded.  She pointed at Skull Flame.

“Reina’s activating the effect of Skull Flame,” Saito translated.  “Instead of drawing, she’s adding a Burning Skull Head from our graveyard to her hand.”

Saki jumped.  Oh geez, they really did have a combo, didn’t they?

“Once per turn, I can special summon a Burning Skull Head from my hand, but I have to skip my Battle Phase,” Reina said, echoing word-for-word how Saito had explained the move before. “When Burning Skull Head is special summoned, it deals one thousand points of effect damage.”

Once again, Skull Flame lifted its hands, and the clicking skull appeared over its palm to send a rain of fire over Saki and Miu’s heads.

“And then I activate my face down—Offerings to the Doomed! By skipping my next draw phase, I can destroy one card on the field—and I destroy Burning Skull Head!”

The skull shattered and the fire went out.  Saki’s heart quickened.  Saito wouldn’t have a draw phase to add Burning Skull to her hand, but Reina would.  So if they didn’t win this before Reina’s next turn…they only had one thousand life points left.  And Skull Flame had twenty six hundred attack.  One hit on Messengelato or Robot Buster, or even the halved attack Buster Blader would be the end.  Miu might need to put everyone into defense mode to wait it out…but then they’d be facing Reina again with the next Burning Skull!

“It’s okay,” Miu said, jolting Saki out of her thoughts.  “We’re going to win.”

Saki blinked.

“R-really?” she said.

Miu nodded.

“Miu needs to borrow your monster, is that okay?” she said.

“Of—of course!  Isn’t that the point of a tag duel?”

Miu smiled.

“Thank you, Saki-chan.”

She turned to her deck.

“Miu draws,” she said, snapping her card free.  “Miu activates Miu’s trap: Madolche Tea Party.”

In a puff of smoke, a little table appeared in the center of the field, laden with cakes and kettles and cups of tea.  And…Saki almost laughed.  All of their monsters were sitting around it now!  Skull Flame and Buster Blader looked especially silly, crunched into the tiny seats as Messengelato poured them cups of tea.

“All monsters on the field are considered Madolche monsters until the end of the turn,” Miu said.  Which means, Miu has all of the requirements.”

She looked between Robot Buster and Messengelato, nodding.  Requirements?  For what?

“Miu has two level four Madolche monsters,” she said.  “Miu overlays Madolche Messengelato, and Robot Buster treated as a Madolche.”

“Overlay?  What’s an overlay?” Saito said, blinking.

Robot Buster and Messengelato both turned into yellow sparkles.  Miu clasped her hands together looking for a moment like she was praying.  Above the cake chateau, the sky turned dark and swirled, as the yellow sparkles shot up and spiraled into almost some kind of portal over head.

“Ruler of sweets and royal of tea, from the palace of cake, please come forth,” Miu chanted. “XYZ summon: appear, Madolche Queen Tiaramisu.”

The light exploded from the swirling portal, and when it cleared, a new monster sat on the field.  She was a prim little queen, with her purple hair all piled up on the back of her head, a sparkling silver tiara on her head.  She smiled kindly, two twin stars circling around her.

“What is that?” Saito said, sounding almost awed.

“What is that?” Reina repeated.

“I’ve never seen you use this monster,” Saki said.

“It’s new,” Miu said.  “Miu activates Tiaramisu’s effect.  By detaching one overlay unit, Miu can shuffle two Madolche cards in the graveyard back into the deck, and then send two cards on the field back to their owner’s decks.  Miu detaches Messengelato, and shuffles Messengelato and Mewfeuille back into the deck.”

One star swirled out in front of Tiaramisu and burst like a firework.  Tiaramisu raised up one hand as though she were making a decree.

“Madolche Shuffle,” Miu called.  “Miu targets Skull Flame and Mirror Wall.”

“Not so fast,” Saito said, as Reina grabbed a card from her hand and showed it to them.  “Reina is discarding Ghost Ogre and Snow Rabbit.  When a monster’s effect activates, by discarding this card, we can destroy the monster that activated its effect!”

Oh!  Saki could do something!

“I activate Blader Soul!” she said, hitting the button on her duel disk.  “When a monster would be destroyed while I have Buster Blader on the field, I can return Buster Blader to my hand to negate the destruction!”

Saito swore. Buster Blader turned into light and the glow surged in front of Tiaramisu.  The sparkling magic of the little ghost ogre girl fizzled out and vanished.

“And by discarding the Buster Blader in my hand, I can then add its attack points to one monster on the field!”

The glow turned transparent, and settled over Tiaramisu like a veil.  Behind her, a golden ghostly shape like Buster Blader appeared like a guardian angel.

“Tiaramisu’s effect finishes,” Miu said.  “Skull Flame and Mirror Wall go back to the deck.”

Skull Flame vanished, and then the sparkling mirror wall went with it.

“And now Tiaramisu has four thousand eight hundred attack!” Saki said.

Miu nodded.

“Miu and Saki win,” she said.  “Tiaramisu, Tiramyphoon.”

Tiaramisu didn’t even stand up, she just lifted both hands up. Cake frosting swirled from her like a giant typhoon or a tornado, swirling straight at Reina and Saito.  They both yelped, and when their life point counters reached zero, they were covered in frosting.  Then it vanished along with the rest of the holograms.

For just a moment, Saki didn’t move.

“WOOHOO!” Nina screamed. “GO FIRST-YEARS!”

Another round of cheers rose up from their small group in the stands, and Saki felt a smile grow over her face.

“Miu, you did it!!” she said, running over to her.  “That was incredible!  I’ve never seen a monster like that!! That was great!”

Miu smiled and accepted the hug that Saki gave her.

“ _We_ did it,” she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I would toss a mockup of the three cards I made up for this chapter here! They're not very useful outside of this very particular duel haha XD


	16. Mysterious Black and White – The New Rare Cards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren approaches Miu to tell him more about that mysterious new type of summon she used. What are the origins of the mysterious Synchro and XYZ summons?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Crossover with another Yu-Gi-Oh series

“That was absolutely incredible!” Nina shouted, waving her hand too much so that her juice sloshed out of her cup.  “Congrats everybody!  We all passed our exams!”

There was a resounding cheer in response, everyone holding up their own cups.  Ren sipped at his juice, keeping off to the back so that Saya wouldn’t try to grab him in a fake juice-induced-drunkness.  She already had tied her school tie around her head and was trying to get Taiki to dance with her on top of a table.

He was more interested in trying to learn something else today.  He edged around the outskirts of the party, which was crammed into the Osiris senior dorm lobby.  There she was—Miu was standing near Saki and Anani, gripping her juice between her sleeve-covered hands and listening silently to the conversation.

“Hey, Ueno-san,” he said, and Miu blinked, looking up. “I wanted to say first, congrats to you and Yamaguchi-san.  It was the first time I’ve seen Saito look so shocked.”

Miu smiled faintly.  She always looked like she was only half there, and half paying attention to you.

“Thank you,” she said.

“I wanted to ask you, too,” he said. “About that card you used.”

“Oh, yea!” Nina said, popping up out of nowhere and making Anani jump.  “I was gonna ask too!  Can we see that awesome new card you used?”

“I’d be interested too,” Anani said shyly.

“Oh, okay,” said Miu.  She handed her juice to Saki, and dug into her pocket for her deck box.  She had to shake her sleeve past her wrist then so that she could ruffle through the cards.  “Here.”

She turned the card towards them.

“Whoa!!” Nina said. “It’s black!  It’s so cool!”

“I thought Synchro was the newest summoning type,” Anani said, leaning towards the card with interest.

“Oh!  Oh!  I have a Synchro monster!” Nina said.  “Manjoume Thunder gave it to me!  Look!”

She almost sloshed juice on Ren as she dug for her deck, pulling out her card.  She turned the pale white card towards the others.

“Exploder Dragonwing,” she said, proudly.  “Manjoume Thunder gave me this card!”

“You said that already,” said Ren.

“Oh, I also have a Synchro monster,” Anani said.  “She’s…ah, here she is.”

She turned her card to show the others.  Aromaseraphy Rosemary, Ren read.

“Whoa, guys, slow down,” said Saki, holding up both hands, which were still both holding juice. “So I’ve… _heard_ of Synchro, but I don’t know much about it.”

“Oh, it’s fairly new,” Anani said, smiling. “You know how Kaiba Corporation is working with other companies on developing green energy, right?”

“Oh, yea, I know about that,” said Saki.

Anani tucked her card away and clasped her hands in front of her.  She tilted her head.

“Well, Kaiba Corporation decided to test it out on their Duel Monsters technology, in an attempt to make the Solid Vision more real.”

“And…somehow Synchro came out of that?” said Saki.  “How are those things related?”

“That’s pretty simple,” came another voice, and Ren looked up.  Minato had appeared, arms folded across their chest.  “Well, I mean, simple for those of us who know anything about Duel Spirits.”

“Sounds like someone was paying attention in class,” Ren said, smiling.

Minato shrugged, as Nina and Saki both immediately flushed.

“Anyway, we’ve always known that there are types of monsters in the spirit world that we haven’t yet known how to reach and summon,” Minato said.  “During the research that Kaiba Corporation conducted on energy, they also learned the wavelength of a new kind of monster.”

“And those were Synchro monsters?” Saki said, eyes widening.

“Yup,” said Minato.

“What about Miu’s monster?” Nina said, pointing at Miu’s card.  “It’s not white, it’s black!  What’s it called?”

“It’s an XYZ monster,” Miu said.

“You’re from Heartland, aren’t you?” Ren said.

Miu nodded, blinking with a faint surprise.

“I thought as much.  XYZ monsters are being developed in an outbranch of Industrial Illusions there.  They’re even more prototype than Synchro monsters.”

“I’d never seen one before,” Minato said, leaning in to look at Miu’s monster.  “There’s only a few hundred of them in the world right now, right?”

“Miu isn’t sure,” Miu said, shrugging.  “Miu wrote a letter to Pegasus-sama once, and Miu got this back in the mail.”

For a moment, no one responded.  And then Saki and Nina both let out a loud _EHHHHHH?_

“You got that from _Pegasus_?” Nina said, practically falling over.  “You mean _Pegasus J. Crawford?_ ”

“Miu was in elementary school,” Miu said, not looking at all perturbed.  “Mewfeuille brought some friends to play with Miu, and they told Miu about their queen that they hadn’t been able to find for a while.  I had all of their cards, except the queen.”

She turned the card toward her again, tilting her head.

“So Miu wrote to Pegasus-sama to ask where the queen was,” she said.  “And Pegasus-sama wrote back to ask me about what the queen was like.  And after Miu wrote another letter, Miu got this back.”

“Did you…basically just design your own card?” Saki said.

“No,” said Miu, her cheeks puffing up with indignation. “Miu just told Pegasus-sama what Miu’s friend’s queen was like, and Pegasus-sama made the card.”

Minato nodded slowly.

“Even if it’s a kind of card that’s rare or doesn’t exist yet, the monster still exists,” they said.  “So spirit seers or other people with powers like yours and ours, we’d be able to find those monsters and help the cards be made for them.”

Ren smiled then.

“Same thing happened to me,” he said to Miu. “Only, I can’t hear monsters.  It’s one of my little sisters, Ran, that can see the spirits.  She told me that my monsters were missing one of their friends.”

“You wrote to Pegasus too?” Miu said.

“Well, I wrote to Industrial Illusions, to ask them if there were any plans to make new monsters,” he said, blushing slightly.  “It was mostly to make Ran feel better, because she was pretty distressed for the sake of my cards.”

He dug into his breast pocket, pulling out his own XYZ monster.  Nina let out an “ooooh” as he showed them.

“Traptrix Rafflesia,” Anani read.  “So when you wrote to Pegasus…”

“I didn’t expect anything other than a form letter, but I got a personal letter from Pegasus back, asking me for details.  The way he wrote it made it sound like he knew perfectly well that the monsters were real.”

“Pegasus-sama said to Miu that he wanted every monster to be able to play with everyone,” Miu said, nodding.  “That sometimes he couldn’t find all of the monsters by himself.”

“After a few more letters, this came out of it.  Ran-chan was so happy.”

He smiled just thinking about it.  He tucked his card back into his pocket.

“Wow,” Saki said.  “I had no idea that this was how new monsters were made…and I’ve been seeing monsters since I was a kid, too!  I didn’t even think that the people making the game were aware of the power it had…”

“That’s awesome!” Nina said, punching the air.  “Maybe I can work for Pegasus someday, and help all the monsters get cards so that they can come and play with everyone!”

Ren smiled.

“That sounds like it would be really nice,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and like many prompts before it, this one is a little bit of a stretch this chapter, haha ^^;;
> 
> Well, I wanted to take a moment to explain why just a few years post-GX, there are students with Synchro and XYZ monsters. I hope it was interesting >w<


	17. Nina’s Curiosity – The Secret Lives of Professors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nina gets curious about her professors after Tenjoin-sensei reveals that she's going to be getting married. Jian just wants to know how Nina could have already missed something so obvious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: OTP

“Hey,” Nina said.  “Do you think Yuki-sensei’s got a girlfriend?”

Jian blinked, looking up from her motorcycle engine.

Her parts were scattered all over the floor around her.  To the untrained eye, it would look as though it was just a mess.  However, Jian had them in perfect, neat order, and she knew exactly where all of her tools and parts were, in the order that she would need them.  She was trying to reconfigure this motorcycle engine to run her new prototype hologram system, the same way that the burgeoning Momentum did, but it was hard work.  Her roommate, Reina, had excused herself without a word like usual, but had looked at the parts with a little bit of uncertainty.  Reina didn’t like messes, and Jian felt a little bad for commandeering the whole room—but Reina always insisted it was fine as long as the mess was cleaned up by nighttime, so they made a compromise.  This was a bigger mess than usual, but Jian had her internal schedule and she was sure she’d be done on time.

Nina lay sprawled over Jian’s bottom bunk on her stomach, her legs kicking back and forth slowly.  She had burst in about an hour ago, claiming that she was bored and wanted to watch Jian build things.  Her chatter was usually pretty endearing, and Jian liked the background noise, especially since Nina rarely expected her to contribute to the conversation back.

This time, however, this seemed like a question that Jian should answer.  She reached for her wrench and shifted the engine into her lap.

“What brought this on?” she said.

“I was talking to some Ra kids at lunch, and they were all really upset because apparently they had had some kind of bet going??  They all thought that Yuki-sensei and Tenjoin-sensei were an item.”

Jian almost burst out laughing, but she maintained a faint smile instead.

“Oh, and they’re not?”

“Nah, apparently Tenjoin-sensei just announced that she’s getting married,” Nina said.  “It’s some archeological dude she knows from college, I guess?”

“Oh, that must be Jim,” Jian said.  “He came over to teach a history class last year for us once.”

“Oh yea that was the name they said,” Nina said, nodding.  “Anyway.  They started asking me if Yuki-sensei was seeing anyone else since we have him for classes all the time, they thought I’d know.  I dunno why it’s so important to them.  Hey, do you think maybe him and Hibiki-sensei?”

Jian actually did laugh this time.

“Nina-chan,” she said.  “Have you seriously not noticed?”

“Not noticed what?”

Jian heard a faint noise outside then, and put the engine on the floor.  She oofed as she stood up, dusting off her knees.  Then she beckoned to Nina and wandered over to the window, heaving the rest of the way open.  Nina blinked, confused, but she spun around on the bed and hopped off, trotting over to look down.

From Jian’s window, you could see a straight shot to the harbor.  There was a boat in the dock that didn’t belong to the school.  Oh, she wondered who was here…

More importantly, though, whoever it was, their professors were going to see them.

“Look,” Jian said, pointing through the window.

“What am I looking at?” Nina said.  “Oh!”

Her eyes fell on Yuki-sensei and Andersen-sensei, who were heading down the path towards the harbor.  She started to stick her head out the window, mouth opening as though to shout and say hi.  Jian grabbed her, however, and pointed.

“No, really, look,” she said.

Nina blinked.  It seemed to take her a few moments longer to notice it than Jian would have thought—the fact that the two of them were holding hands wasn’t exactly secretive.  But then her mouth dropped open into a big O and she dropped her hand against the window sill.

“Whoa, what?? Really?”

“Yeah,” Jian said, laughing a little.  “They hold hands a lot, you know.”

“What??”

“And I can’t believe for a second you haven’t seen Andersen-sensei kissing Yuki-sensei on the cheek before classes.

“I’m from Europe, people just do that.”

“They’ve been dating since before I started here,” Jian said, laughing.

“Are they gonna get married?” Nina said, looking excited.

“I dunno,” Jian said.  “I think it’s a little complicated because they’re both also dating the Duel Monster that Yuki-sensei’s fused with.”

“They’re…they’re what?” Nina said. “Who??”

“Oooh that’s right, you probably haven’t met Yubel yet,” Jian laughed a little.

“How…how do you date someone you’re fused with?” Nina said, looking dumbfounded.

“They can separate from Yuki-sensei sometimes.  Yubel’s super cool, you’ll like them once you get to meet them.”

“That’s awesome,” Nina said eyes widening. “Whoa!”

“Yup,” Jian said.  She glanced out over towards the boat in the harbor; the professors were almost there, and someone was climbing out onto the deck and waving.  From a distance, he was a little hard to see, but he appeared to be a young man in a silver suit.  Behind him, a taller man with long dark hair climbed out and waved as well.  Yuki-sensei raised his own hand in greeting.

Jian pulled back from the window and closed it most of the way again, wandering back to her engine.

“Wow,” Nina said, plopping back onto Jian’s bed.  “So I didn’t even notice any of that.”

Nina frowned for a moment while Jian picked up her tools again.

“Hey, do you think Chronos-sensei is seeing anyone too?”

Jian spluttered a moment.

“Oh god, now that’s an idea,” she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much space in this kind of story for me to really delve into my GX OTPs, but I've done some stuff for them in the past, so I figure I'll just imply them in the background haha XD The ships here are Tomorrowshipping (Asuka x Jim Cook), Possesshipping (Johan x Judai x Yubel), and very, very subtly implied Destinyshipping (Saiou x Edo). I'm also a fan of Angelshipping (Manjoume x Shou), O'Brien x Maiden of Aqua, and Pineshipping (Fubuki x Sara).


	18. Fun in the Sun! – Finally, a Relaxing Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's summer vacation at Duel Academy, but it will be two days before the ships start running to take everyone home. So clearly, it's time for a beach day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: OCs

“WHOOOOHOO!”

Saki winced as Nina surged past her, so fast that Saki’s hair floofed with the wind of it.  Nina was already in the water by the time that Saki even reached the edge of the beach.

“Geez, you’d think we don’t come to the beach every single day,” Minato said, rolling their eyes.

“Well, I mean, this is the first time we’ve used the beach as like, an actual beach,” Saki pointed out.

Summer vacation at Duel Academia was a little odd.  The boats only started running again about two days after classes ended for the break, so they had two days before those going home for break could get on the boat.

Saya, then, had informed them that traditionally, the first day of summer vacation was reserved for beach parties.

Nina was already in the surf, yelling incoherently as she ran up and down across the water.  She was in a full on short sleeve wetsuit for a swimsuit, like she was planning on surfing.  She might be, actually, Saki thought when she saw Jian and Ren headed down from the senior dorm with surfboards.

“Wait for me!” Taro shouted, and bolted past Saki so fast that he almost bowled her over.  He threw his shirt off onto the ground before bolting into the water after Nina.  Miu let out a faint hiss.

“Miu wants to go back to sleep,” she grumbled, glaring out at the sunlight.

“You don’t want to swim at all?”

“Miu doesn’t like water.”

Miu was in a long white sundress with pink ribbons—it was the first time that Saki had seen her without sleeves covering her hands, and it looked pretty cute on her. 

“They’ll have shut the a/c off in the Osiris dorms in preparation for summer vacation, so you’ll be better off out here,” Minato said.  “Come on, Micchan, I’ll help you put out a towel and umbrella and you can take a nap.”

Miu hmphed, but she trotted after Minato.  Minato wasn’t in beach wear at all—in fact, they were wearing a long, dark turtleneck and dark pants. It looked warm, and even though Saki was in just an oversized t-shirt over her one-piece swimsuit, she felt hot just looking at them.

“Aren’t you hot?” she asked.

Minato just grimaced, hefting the umbrella back under their arm a bit more.

“Summer and I have never gotten along,” they said.

“Well, I mean, you could always cool off in the water…or wear short-sleeves,” Saki pointed out.

“I only own black clothes,” Minato grumbled.  “And…I dunno.  I’m not really comfortable in the water.”

They set the umbrella and towels down, scratching under their ribs irritably.

“You can’t really wear a binder when you’re in a swimsuit, you know?” they said.

“Oh,” Saki said, understanding.  “Well…make sure you’re drinking a lot of water, okay?  Stay hydrated.  And if you get too hot, you can wear my t-shirt, I’ll just leave it over here.”

Minato blinked, surprised for a moment. Then they smiled tentatively.

“Thanks, Saki,” they said.

“Sacchan,” Miu said, and Saki glanced up (Sacchan?? When did that become her nickname?).  “Sacchan, look out.”

Saki blinked and looked up—too slow to avoid the tackle hug from Saya.

“You guys all look so cute!” Saya squealed.  “Beach day is the best day!”

Saki’s head rattled from getting shaken by Saya.  Saya was in a bright orange bikini with ruffles along the edges.

“This is gonna be so much fun!!  I brought watermelons for smashing!!”

“Why did I have to carry them…” Saito grumbled behind her, and Saki looked around Saya’s shoulder to see the Saya’s roommate laden down with two giant watermelons.

“It’s punishment for haunting our bathtub with Daruma-chan for the third week in a row,” Saya said.  She leaned in to whisper conspiratorially to Saki. “I haven’t been able to take a bath for weeks, that ghost is always just sitting there watching me through her long fucking hair.”

Saki shivered.

“I told you I’d banish her today!  For the last time, I promise!  Why do I have to carry watermelons?”

“Why do I have to carry watermelons,” Reina repeated.  She appeared to have also been commandeered, looking as miffed as she could with her bangs all over her eyes, and two  more watermelons in her arms.

“I hope Mori brought the fireworks,” Saya said, pushing up onto her tiptoes to look around the beach.  “This is going to be the best day!”

She started waving at the next group that was headed down the path.

“Mori!! Mori!  Did you bring the fireworks??”

The young, tan-skinned man with shaggy, white blond hair in a ponytail scowled, yanking his arm free of Elias’s grip.

“Of course I didn’t bring any fucking fireworks, I didn’t even want to come,” he said.

“Now, now, this is a great bonding time for everyone,” Elias said, smiling.  “You can’t just skip it.”

“Don’t worry, Saya, I brought fireworks,” Kotone said, wriggling her goggles from her eyes and then holding up the big box.

“I love you, Kotone-chan, and I would give you my life,” Saya said, fake swooning.

“Yo, nerds!” Jian shouted from the water. “I’ve got extra surfboards, who wants a go??”

“ME!” Nina practically screamed.

“Do they have motors on them again??” one of the other third-years said, a dark skinned girl with long, fuzzy violet hair.  That was Lindbloom Oshiro, Saki thought.  She hadn’t been officially introduced, but she recognized her.

“Hell yea,” Jian responded.

“Then fuck no,” Lindbloom shot back.

Miu just groaned, and sat down on the towel under the umbrella that Minato had set up.

“Miu doesn’t think Miu’s going to be able to sleep,” she grumbled.

Saki couldn’t help but laugh.  They had a ridiculous group here…it was sure to be just as ridiculous of a day.

*    *    *

Akiara pulled at her dress nervously.  She hated swimsuits. Everyone was going to make fun of her, probably.

“Aki-chi,” Eun said.  “Aki-chi, come on, the water’s nice.”

Akiara blushed.  Ji-U and Eun were ahead of her already.  Ji-U was floating around on a kickboard, her hair pulled into a braid.  Eun also had her hair in a braid, and they would have looked almost identical in their frilly white and blue swim suits, except for that Ji-U was wearing a sun hair clip and Eun was wearing one that looked like a crescent moon.  Eun was already up to her stomach in the water, and she waved.

“Come on, Aki-chi,” she said again.  “Don’t you want to?”

Akiara did kind of want to.  She loved swimming…but there were so many people around…

“I’ll look silly,” she said, tugging at her dress.

Eun lowered herself into the water until her mouth was under it, and she blew bubbles.  She popped back up then.

“You’ll look cute.  Come on, Aki-chi…please?”

Akiara hesitated a bit longer. Well…she had known Ji-U and Eun for weeks now, and they’d never made fun of her before.  She hesitated one more second before she forced herself to wriggle the dress over her head and reveal her plain black bathing suit.

Eun put her face in the water again and blew more bubbles.  Akiara flushed.

“Why are you doing that?” she mumbled.

Eun poked her mouth over the water.

“No reason,” she mumbled.  Her cheeks looked…a little red?  Was she sunburned already?  “I told you you’d look cute.”

Akiara flushed a bright red.

“You’re just saying that.”

“Let’s play a truth-telling Shadow Game so that you know I’m telling the truth.

“You don’t have to do that!!”

“Then come and play with me, Aki-chi,” Eun said, splashing her hands against the water.  “Come onnn.”

“You’re so needy,” Ji-U said, splashing her sister with her kickboard.  “Akiara-chan, give her a good splashing, okay?”

“Is that a challenge?” Eun said, standing straight up.   “Water fight, right now!”

She splashed Ji-U, and Ji-U startled back, spluttering.  In spite of herself, Akiara giggled.  Then Eun sent her a mischievous grin, and splashed her feet, making Akiara squeak.

“Get her back, Akiara-chan,” Ji-U said.  “Don’t take that from her.”

Akiara felt an uncharacteristic giggle in her stomach, and she walked into the water, splashing Eun gently.  Eun immediately pretended to swoon and fall backwards into the water, floating on her back.

“I’m defeated,” she said.

“Already?” Ji-U said.  “You don’t get to give up that easily.”

Eun yelped when Ji-U splashed her again.  She twisted over in the water and bolted after her sister, who darted away on her kickboard.  Akiara laughed a little as she sank into the water a bit, treading.

It was a nice day, huh?

*    *    *

“Taro!  _Taro_!  Look at this!!”

Nina waited impatiently, bobbing in the surf.  Taro’s ears twitched at the sound of his name.  He turned around, saw Nina, and did an expert breaststroke over to her.

“What’s up?” he said.

“Look!!”

Nina pointed at the crack in the rocks she had found.  Taro tilted his head at it.

“It’s just a little bit of a dent,” he said.

“No, no, take a look!” Nina said.  She pulled her swim goggles down on her eyes, and after a beat, Taro repeated, pulling down the goggles that he had borrowed from Jian.  Nina took a deep breath and ducked under water.  Taro followed.

She saw his entire body light up as he saw what she had found—an underwater cave!  Without going up, she beckoned to him.  Taro didn’t hesitate—she loved that about him.  He didn’t ask questions.  She swam ahead first, fitting through the cave and into the rock.  Just inside, there was an air pocket, and she popped back up, gasping for another breath.  Taro popped up beside her.

“Whoa!” he said.  “I hadn’t found this one yet.”

“This is rad!” Nina said.

Above their heads, from the small pool they had emerged in, a massive cave spread outwards.  It was beautiful, Nina thought.  It was dark and gloomy and shiny with the water dripping from stalactites.  There were cool fungi growing like tiny fairy stairs up some of the stalagmites on the ground.

“Wanna explore?” Nina said, keeping her voice low.  It still echoed a little bit.

“Of course!” Taro said.

Nina swam towards the shore, and then hesitated.  A voice echoed around the cave, and she held up a hand, listening.  Who was that?  Was there a ghost in here?  Taro treaded water beside her, his ears pricking up.  That’s right, he was a dog, he could hear better than her.

“What is it?” Nina whispered.

“It’s…oh, it’s Saito-senpai,” he said.  “And…I’m not sure who else, but there’s someone else.”

He carefully edged himself out of the water, splattering drops across the ground.  Nina slipped after him.  They crept around the stalagmites until Taro motioned for them to stop, crouching behind a rock formation and glancing around it.

At the edge of another underground lake, Nina could see two shadowy figures.  Saito-senpai and Reina-senpai, she realized.

“So, you like it down here?” Saito said.

“Like it,” Reina repeated.

“I knew you would—I haven’t confirmed yet, but I think there are some ghosts down here.  We should try finding them someday.”

“Try finding them someday.”

“Must be hard having a conversation with her,” Nina said.

Taro nodded.  For a moment, Nina wondered if she should be eavesdropping—but then the moment passed, and she peeked a little further, wondering what the two of them were doing down here.

“Um, Reina,” Saito said suddenly.  “It’s summer vacation and all and like…that means the year is like, a quarter over.  Um…I’m going to be graduating soon.”

“Going to be graduating soon,” Reina said, and she sounded…sad, Nina thought.  “Half over.”

Saito started to rock slightly back and forth, hugging her knees.  After a breath, though, Nina saw her move one hand back down, right on top of Reina’s hand on the stone floor.  Nina’s breath caught.  Oh!  Was she witnessing a love confession?

“Basically uh…oh geez, I’m bad at this.  I was going to try and spell it out on a Ouija board during a séance with you.  But I don’t think I should wait.”

Taro and Nina exchanged glances.  Nina pumped her fists, mouthing _“say it, say it, say it.”_

“Reina-chan, I really…” she started, and fumbled.

 _Oh come on!!_ Nina thought.

Saito mumbled a bit incoherently.  Then Reina turned towards her, and with the hand that wasn’t underneath Saito’s, she reached over and put a finger to Saito’s lips.

“Like you too,” Reina whispered.  “I like you too.”

It sounded as though it took her an enormous effort to get the words out, words that weren’t an echo of anything except the thing that Saito hadn’t said yet.  Saito blushed, her face in profile.

“I mean, for real, though,” Saito said.  “I like-like you.  Like, uh, you know, like…”

Nina pressed her hands over her mouth to stop herself from squealing when Reina leaned in and cut Saito off by kissing her quickly on the lips.

“For real, though,” Reina echoed, smiling.

Nina almost squealed.  Taro grabbed her wrists, and for a moment, they just held each other’s hands and pumped them up and down in a victory motion.

“Let’s go before Saito-senpai notices us, though,” Taro said.  “She might curse us for listening in.”

“Good plan,” Nina whispered back, and carefully, they made their way back to the water they had come from.

*    *    *

“And now, for the main event!”

Mostyn grinned as he cranked both arms back, both of which he had shapeshifted into big long baseball bat-like appendages.

“Ha-chah!”

He smacked both down onto two watermelons, splitting them open.  Anani squealed and laughed as the bits sprayed against her legs, jumping back. 

“Moss!!” Saya shouted.  “Dammit, Moss, you’re supposed to do that with blindfolds and stuff!  You gotta wait!”

“Oops, we’re in trouble,” Mostyn laughed, shapeshifting his hands back to normal. “Grab some watermelon!”

Anani giggled and scooped up a few pieces of the shattered watermelons.  Mostyn made his hands look really big and scooped up almost half a watermelon on his own.  They both laughed as they ran off, Saya half-heartedly running after them and shaking her fists.

Mostyn lead Anani up the cliff path, up to the bluff.  They were both panting and sweaty when they reached the top, giggling.  Anani had watermelon juice all over her hands, bright as cherries against her white skin.

Mostyn flopped down next to the bluff, letting his legs kick back and forth over the edge.  Anani sat herself down beside him.

“What a sunset,” Mostyn said.  “And then Saya will definitely be shooting off those fireworks soon, and this will be the best seat in the house!”

He took a big bite of watermelon, grinning.

“So many colors,” Anani said, awed.  “I haven’t watched the sun set here yet.”

She took a little bite of her watermelon.  Then she reached out with one hand towards the bright orange, yellows, and pinks.  She concentrated, and drew the gradient down into her arms.

“Whoa,” Mostyn said, pausing to look at her now sunset-colored skin.  “That’s amazing.”

Anani’s cheeks heated, but she smiled.

“Your abilities are really amazing, too,” she said.

“Aww thanks,” he said.  “Thanks for coming up here with me, by the way, and for going along with my watermelon stealing plan.”

“Well, the watermelon was worth it,” Anani said, laughing.

Mostyn took a comically big bite of his watermelon by shapeshifting his mouth bigger.

“Definitely!” he said.

Anani laughed.  Mostyn chewed and swallowed, pausing then.

“Um, for real though,” he said.  “Thanks.  For hanging out with me and everything, even though I can be a little creepy sometimes.”

“What?  You’re not creepy,” Anani said.

“Nah, I know, it’s a little weird to see someone shapeshifting like I do all the time,” he said.  “Even some of the others in Osiris dorm get a little weirded out.  It’s okay.”

“I’m definitely not weirded out,” Anani said.  “Like…look at me, I don’t have any colors naturally.”

She let her sunset colors dissipate.

“Yeah, but you look pretty,” Mostyn said.  And then he blushed.  “I mean…y-yeah, that’s what I meant, you look pretty like that.  It’s very you.”

Anani felt herself going a bit pink, and shook the unwanted color out of her fingers.

“Well, I think you look pretty like you, shapeshifting and all,” she said.

Mostyn blushed.

“Well…okay,” he said.

She hesitated, watermelon rinds in her lap.  Then she scootched a little closer, until she was nearly flush against Mostyn, and carefully rested her head against his shoulder.  She felt him flinch slightly, but then he relaxed.

“Thank you, too,” she said.  “For making me feel like we’re both normal.”

Mostyn didn’t respond, but she thought that he might have been smiling.

*    *    *

“Got a little too hot, huh?”

Minato’s cheeks got a bit dark, and they rubbed the back of their neck.  They had changed out of their dark turtleneck, and was wearing Saki’s baggy white t-shirt with the black cartoon cat on it.

“I hope that was okay,” Minato said.

“I told you it was,” Saki said.  She flopped onto the towel next to Minato, hair still dripping from when Saya had knocked her over into the water during the water fight that the twins had started.  “I’m glad you weren’t just sitting there suffocating.”

“Well…thanks for the offer, too,” Minato said.  “That was nice of you.”

Saki smiled.  Minato wasn’t looking at her, rubbing the back of their neck and looking a bit peeved with themselves.  She almost giggled.

“Miu’s asleep, huh?” Saki said, leaning over her knees to look past Minato.

“She kept complaining that she wouldn’t be able to, but she’s out like a light,” Minato said, shaking their head.  “Are we sure she’s not part cat?”

Miu was curled up on her towel, another towel bunched under her head.  She had her hands curled under her cheek and she looked honestly adorable.

“Oh, by the way…want a juice?” Minato said, holding out a can.  “I mean, it’s a little warm; Miu requested it but she was asleep when I got back.  I’ll get her another one if she wakes up.”

Saki laughed.  “Thanks,” she said, taking it.  The juice _was_ pretty warm, but it still tasted good.

“Were you having fun?” Minato asked.

“As much fun as I can with Saya-senpai dunking me every five seconds,” Saki said.

“Mm, yes, you seem to have caught her attention; she seems to enjoy teasing you the most,” they said.

“Ughhh no,” Saki moaned, flopping against her knees. “And I have the whole rest of the year of this, too.”

Minato patted her on the shoulder, grinning.

“You’ll live,” they said.

“Yo, look alive, firsties!!!” someone shouted, probably Saya.

And then there was a big crackling pop, and Saki jumped.  Minato swore too, looking up.

Against the darkening sky, the fizzle of fireworks faded like stars.

“They have…legit, big fireworks,” Minato said.  “Fuck, I thought we were just going to be playing with sparklers.”

Someone let out a whoop, and then another firework shot up into the sky and exploded.  Miu stirred.  She sat up, rubbing her eyes with a grumpy pout.

“What’s going on?” she mumbled.

Another firework went off, and then two more, sending a sparkling display of blue, white and green into the sky.  Miu sat upright, eyes widening.

“Whoa,” Saki said.  “Those are some real intense fireworks!”

A whole score of them went off this time, in golds and reds and silvers, and in the distance near the water, Saki could see people lighting up sparklers.

“Get some sparklers before they’re gone!” Saya shouted from the water, just a shadow near the ocean.  “Come on, firsties!”

More fireworks boomed overhead, and then Saki saw Ren and Taiki off towards one side, and wondered if they were casting spells to make the fireworks.  She found she was right when she saw Taiki lift up his plush and screw his face up with concentration, and another firework went off into the sky.

Nina rocketed over to them then, skidding sand into their faces.

“Come on, guys, the sparklers will be gone!” she said.  “Come on, come on, you gotta see the fireworks that Jian and Kotone are going to shoot off, too!”

Nina grabbed Saki’s arms, and Saki found herself laughing—she couldn’t remember the last time she had had so much fun!

“Let’s go get a sparkler,” Saki said to Miu and Minato, scrambling up.  “I haven’t had one of those since I was five!”

Miu looked interested, even and she, too, hopped up with Saki.

Minato however, hesitated.  They hugged their knees briefly, tilting their head so that the brim of their hat fell over their eyes.

“You coming or what?” Nina said.

Saki’s lips parted.  Did they not want to come…?

Then Minato looked up, and there was a half-smile on their face.

“I’m coming,” they said.  They stood up, and brushed the sand from their knees.  “thanks.”

“For what?” Saki said.

Minato smiled, and the light of the fireworks illuminated their face with silver and gold.

“Nothing,” they said. “I guess I was just thinking that this is the first time I’ve felt like I had friends.”

Oh, Saki thought.  She had never really asked Minato much about their life before Duel Academia.  Before she could say anything, though, Miu flopped against Minato.

“Sappy,” she said.  “You’re sappy.”

Minato grimaced.

“I was trying to say something good,” they mumbled.

“Awwwww Minato-kun!!! You’re adorable!” Nina said, laughing as she threw her arms around their shoulders.

“I hate you,” Minato mumbled.

Saki laughed and managed to grab Minato’s hand before they and Nina both fell over.

“We love you too, Minato,” she said, as the fireworks continued to echo above them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire project is about OCs......so clearly what i needed was an episode that just showed as many of them off as possible XD And what better way to do that than by an obligatory beach episode?


	19. Kaede’s Visit! What Yuki-sensei Is Hiding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saki hasn't seen her best friend from middle school since they were put into different dorms, but now her Ra Yellow friend wants to see what Osiris is like. Will she find out the truth about Saki's and her friends' powers, or will Saki end up learning something new about Yuki-sensei?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Favorite Arc

“Hey, you!  Long time no see!”

Saki turned just in time to have an arm thrown over her shoulder and she almost went tumbling forward.

“Oh, Kaede-chan,” she said, brightening.  “Hey!”

The auditorium was slowly starting to empty, but there were still large clumps of people all around the room, students catching up with each other after summer vacation.  Saki’s friend Kaede grinned, leaning heavily on Saki’s shoulder and almost making them both fall.  Kaede was a little taller than Saki, and rounder.  Her skin was just a little bit tanner, and Saki assumed she had spent most of her vacation out on beaches and cruises with her family.  She looked positively sunny, that was for sure—her white blonde hair had been cut to a bob, and her hazel eyes were as sparkling as her yellow uniform.

“It’s been a while, nerd,” Kaeda said, ruffling Saki’s hair.  “How’s the slacker dorm?”

Saki’s smile slipped a little.  Oh wow, it had been so long since she had had a chance to see Kaede that she had almost forgotten her first day here.  She had been so disappointed when they got to registration and while Kaede had gotten her Ra Yellow uniform, Saki had been handed a red jacket.  Back then, it had seemed almost like a death sentence—Saki had come in from the Academia-affiliated middle school, and had been at the top of her class.  Students like her were _supposed_ to go directly to Obelisk, or at the very least, she should have scraped by into Ra.  Kaede, even though she had come from the same affiliated school, had been less interested in keeping her grades up, so it was natural that she was in Yellow.

Of course, back then, Saki hadn’t known what Osiris really was.  And Kaede still didn’t know.

“So?  Spill,” Kaede said, ruffling Saki’s hair again.  “Is it really only one building?  Is the common area smaller than the dorms?”

“Well, it wasn’t that bad,” Saki said, blushing.  “It is smaller than the other dorms, though.”

“Not too many slackers, huh?” Kaede teased.  “Is it true that Osiris Red students have to do special remedial homeroom?  I haven’t seen you in any of the other homeroom classes.”

Saki tried to smile, but she felt a twisting in her stomach.  Kaede was always a tease; that was normal.  Saki didn’t remember it…hurting like this, but maybe she just wasn’t used to it again.  After all, she had spent most of her first months at Academia with the other Osiris kids.

“Well, don’t worry, miss slacker,” Kaede laughed, draping her arm over Saki’s shoulder.  “With grades like yours, you’ll be in Blue before you know it.”

 _I…I actually don’t want to be in Blue,_ Saki thought.

“How’d your parents take it, by the way?” Kaede said.  “You saw them over the summer, yeah?”

Saki’s stomach twisted up and for just a moment, her mind went completely blank.  It took her a second to come back from it.

“I’d…I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Oh, come on, spillll girl.  I want to hear all the fun details!”

“I really don’t want to, Kaede-chan…”

“Sakiiiiii,” Kaede said, shaking Saki playfully by the shoulders.  “Come onnnn.”

Saki felt herself slumping a bit.  She never could keep anything from Kaede for long.

“Okay, fine, I’ll drop it,” Kaede said suddenly.  “But you gotta show me Osiris Dorm in return, okay?”

Just…show her the dorm?  Saki hesitated.  There were a lot of students there that she wasn’t sure if they wanted anyone to know about their powers yet.  She herself wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell Kaede the truth.  Would she see anything there that would make her start to wonder, and make Saki tell her?

“Come on, girl, don’t hesitate on me,” Kaede said. “What happened to going on adventures with your best friend like you used to?”

Well, it couldn’t hurt.  It was Kaede, after all.  Right?  Saki smiled.

“Okay,” she said.  “I can introduce you to some of my classmates.”

“Whoo!” Kaede said, throwing her hands into the air.  “Adventure time, friendo!”

At Saki’s feet, Angel shoved against her legs, and grumbled softly.

*    *    *

“Whoa, this place _is_ tiny,” Kaede said as they approached the dorm.  “I know there’s not a lot of Osiris students, but you can’t possibly fit everyone in here.”

“This is just the junior dorm.  The senior dorm for the second- and third- years is over there,” Saki said, pointing through the trees.

“Wow, it’s separated?  What about your dorm advisor?  Where would they be?”

“Yuki-sensei has a room in this building with the juniors; Andersen-sensei is in the senior dorm.”

“Who’s Yuki-sensei?” Kaede said, blinking.

Oh, that’s right, Saki thought.  Yuki-sensei wasn’t really an official teacher.  He wasn’t on any of the staff lists.

“He’s one of the Osiris teachers,” Saki said.  “I think he might be like…an adjunct?  He doesn’t teach anything else at the main campus.”

“Oooh, spooky,” Kaede laughed.  “A teacher that only shows up at Osiris?  Are you sure he’s not a ghost?”

“Come on, Kaede,” Saki said, rolling her eyes.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Kaede said, clapping Saki on the shoulder.  “Okay, okay, show me your room.  Is your roomie in?”

“I’m not sure, she might be sleeping if she is,” Saki said, leading Kaede up the stairs.

“Your doors open right up to the outside?  It’s like camping,” Kaede said.  “Like you’re living in a cabin instead of a prestigious school.”

“I like it,” Saki said, feeling suddenly defensive.  “Osiris is a great dorm.”

Kaede blinked at her, but Saki was too busy unlocking her door to notice until she saw Kaede wasn’t following her inside.

“What?” she said.

“I dunno, I’m just surprised,” Kaede said.  “I figured you’d want to get out of Osiris as soon as possible.  But you actually like it?”

“What’s wrong with it?” Saki said.

“Well I mean…”

Kaede leaned into check the dorm.  Miu wasn’t there; she was probably with some of the others somewhere.

“This place is like, really old, and crusty,” she said.  “And you’re super into grades and stuff.  I figured you’d want to be in fancy old Obelisk as soon as possible so that your parents don’t get mad at you.  Besides, like…who would actually _want_ to be in Osiris, taking remedial classes and shit?”

Saki felt irritation spike through her.

“Osiris is a lot more than that,” she said.  “And even if it wasn’t, I don’t think it would be right to look down on it.”

“Whoa,” Kaede said, holding up her hands.  “No need to get so angry about it, I was just stating an opinion.”

Saki immediately slumped a bit, feeling somewhat chagrined.  Kaede didn’t know.  How could she?  Saki had never shared anything with her, much less her own powers.

“Sorry, that was kind of rude,” she said.

“Nah, you’re fine.  So this is your room?”

Kaede wandered in, turning in a circle.

“Roomie’s not in?”

“Miu must still be saying hello to everyone,” Saki said.

“Miu, Miu…I don’t know if I’ve seen her.”

“She’s kind of short and quiet,” Saki said.

“Oh!  That was your partner for that tag-duel, right?  She was good.  Dunno why she’s in Osiris, to be honest.”

Saki felt irritated again.  Why did everyone want to hate on Osiris?  She knew it was good to keep attention away from anyone who didn’t want their powers known, but…

“Just because someone’s in Osiris doesn’t mean they can’t be good,” she said.  She thought it was quiet enough that Kaede wouldn’t hear, but apparently not.

“Isn’t that the point of Osiris, though?”

Saki bit down hard on her lip before she blurted something out.  She didn’t know if the others wanted anyone to know about their powers and…and she wasn’t sure she wanted to be up front about them herself.

“Ah, sorry, that sounded bad,” Kaede said, laughing a little.  “My bad.”

“It’s okay,” Saki said.

“Well, the room is pretty cute, that’s for sure,” Kaede said, looking around.  “Nice and tidy; looks like you.”

She grinned at Saki, and Saki rolled her eyes.

“Not all of us like to leave our things all over the floor like heathens,” she said.

Kaede laughed.

“It’s find, I know where everything is,” Kaede said.  “I’ll have you over at Ra sometime, and you can see what my nerd roommate has done with her side of the room.  Posters _eeeverywhere_ of her favorite boy band.”

Kaede made a fake gagging sound and grinned, and Saki giggled in spite of herself.

“Oh, someone here already?” came a voice from the door, and Saki turned to see Yuki-sensei peeking around the corner.  “Oh, Saki-chan, didn’t know you’d made your way over here yet.  Have a good summer?”

“I did, thank you sensei,” Saki said quickly.  “O-oh, this is my friend, Hisakawa Kaede.  Kaede-chan, this is my teacher, Yuki-sensei.”

“Pleased to meet you, sensei,” Kaede said, bobbing a quick bow.

“Oh, from Ra?  Nice to meet you too,” Yuki-sensei said, smiling with a half bow of his own.  “I had a bunch of friends in Ra back when I was you guys’ age.”

“Oh, you’re from Duel Academia too?”

“Yup,” Yuki-sensei said.  “Osiris Red graduate myself.”

“I didn’t know people could graduate from Osiris,” Kaede said.  “Ooops, sorry, that just kinda came out.”

Saki felt a flush pass over her cheeks, and she bit hard on her tongue.  Why did Kaede have to say things like that?  And in front of her professor, even?

But Yuki-sensei just laughed.

“Well, we all have our paths; some of them are just a little more roundabout than others,” he said.

He threw Saki a half smile, and Saki hesitantly smiled back.

“Well, I’ll leave you two alone.  Saki-chan, remember that we’ve got an Osiris dorm meeting at nine, okay?”

“Yes, sensei,” Saki said.

Yuki-sensei saluted them with two fingers, and then hopped off down the balcony.

“Wow,” Kaede said, after he was gone.  “That jacket sure looks like he’s been sleeping under a bridge, yeah?”

“Hey, don’t be mean,” Saki said.

“Sorry, sorry,” Kaede said, holding up her hands.  “Are you sure he’s a teacher, though?  I mean, I’ve never seen him at any of the staff gatherings, or at the cafeteria, or in the directory or…anywhere.”

“Andersen-sensei is an official teacher and he’s told us that Yuki-sensei is a teacher,” Saki said, feeling cross. “Yuki-sensei is a real teacher.”

Kaede shrugged, looking at Saki with one raised eyebrow.

“What?”

“Do you, like, have a crush on him or something?” Kaede said, grinning mischievously.  “I mean, you’re really quick to defend him.”

“I—what??  No!  He’s my teacher!  And he’s been a really great one, so I don’t like hearing things like that about him!”

“Saki’s got a crush,” Kaede said in a singsong voice.

“That’s not it!! Kaede, please, stop it!”

Kaede grinned and started humming the “two people sitting in a tree song.”  Saki felt her face getting so red that it matched her jacket.  Why was Kaede like this?

“So is that why you haven’t come to see me in a while?  You’ve been too busy hanging around Osiris cause you like the teacher,” Kaede teased.  “You’re so slick, Saki-chan.”

“ _STOP!_ ” Saki said, and then clapped her hands over her mouth because that came out much louder than she intended.

Kaede’s smile actually slipped, and she just stared at Saki.  For a minute, they both just stood there. Saki dropped her hands a few centimeters from her mouth.

“Kaede, I think you should go,” she said quietly.

“What?  You can’t handle a joke?” Kaede said.  “What’s wrong with you all of a sudden, Saki?  You’re all…prickly.  And you haven’t talked to me in weeks.”

“Kaede, please.”

“No, hang on, I want to know what’s going on,” Kaede said, scowling.  “I can’t believe for a second that little miss perfect grades is happy in Osiris Red, is defending it so much, and is spending more time with this stupid rundown dorm than with her best friend.  What, you find too many other friends here to have time for me?”

“Kaede, that’s not it,” Saki started, but Kaede wasn’t listening.

“This was a fucking mistake, I thought we were friends,” she said.  “Fuck it…I guess I really will go.”

She shoved past Saki, shoulder smacking against Saki’s.  Saki’s heart dropped into her throat.

“Kaede, wait—Kaede!  I’m sorry, Kaede—”

But Kaede made sure to slam the door behind her, making Saki flinch back from it.  She just stood there, staring at the door, and feeling the tears ready to spill over her cheeks.  What had she done…

*    *    *

Saki laid face down on her bed for she wasn’t sure how long.  Maybe Miu would be back soon, and she’d let Saki cuddle Mewfeuille like she did sometimes when Saki was sad.  Or maybe Nina would burst through the door and chatter nonstop about her summer until Saki forgot why she was sad.  Or Minato might show up, and Saki could probably talk to them about what happened.  Minato probably wouldn’t be mad if she cried.

But no one came back right away, and she just laid there, alone and thinking, over and over, what had happened.

And then she heard the faint thumping sound from somewhere right underneath her.  She ignored it—it was probably Pharaoh.  But then it came again, and that was…in the room underneath her, right?  Maybe someone in the dorm was finally back to set things up for the rest of semester.  There had to be someone she could try and forget about her twisting stomach with.  Hell, she’d take watching Morgan pop her limbs off and on at this point.

Saki twisted up from the bed and slid her feet back into her shoes, trotting to the door.  She locked it behind her, and then thought…wait…who’s room was right underneath hers and Miu’s?  That was…oh!  Underneath her was Yuki-sensei’s room.  If Yuki-sensei was still around…he said he used to be in Osiris Red, maybe he’d understand the way she was feeling right now.  Maybe she could talk to him.  She hurried down the stairs to the bottom level of the dorm, and made her way down the line to the room beneath hers.

The door was hanging open slightly, but there wasn’t any light coming from inside.  Hm…maybe it was just Pharaoh.  Well, if Pharaoh was around, maybe Daitokuji-san would be too.  She would talk to _anyone_ right now if it meant not feeling like this.

She knocked lightly on the door.

“Y-Yuki-sensei?” she called.  “Or…Daitokuji-san? Anyone there?”

The silence seemed to hesitate.  There wasn’t any response.  Could it really just be Pharaoh, rummaging around in Yuki-sensei’s room?  But then Daitokuji would say something; the ghost was never too far away from the cat.

Saki pressed the door open just a tad, peeking through the darkness.

“Hello?” she said.  “Saito-senpai…you’re not summoning demons in the junior dorm again, are you?”

And then there was a giant crash inside, the sound of metal clattering to the ground, and Saki’s heart jumped into her throat.  She flung the door open and fumbled for where the light must be.

“What happened, are you okay—” she started.

Her words shriveled up in her throat, because it wasn’t anyone she was thinking it should be.

Kaede sat frozen on the floor, from where she had presumably fallen.  Her eyes were fixed on Saki, caught red handed by the light.

“K-Kaede?” Saki said.  “What are you doing in here?”

“Trying to find out the truth,” Kaede said, lip curling.  “Yuki Judai isn’t listed anywhere on anything—I don’t think he even fucking went to school here.  Something is fishy and I’m going to figure out what.”

“B-but why?” Saki said.

Her words kind of froze in her throat as her eyes wandered across the floor and found the source of the clanging metal sound.  Was that…armor…?

A massive armor set was scattered over the floor, probably having fallen out of the open closet.  The metal was a dark, smoky black, lined with gold and with purple gems set into the breastplate.  The shoulders had massive spikes protruding from them—it looked like some horrifying demon armor.  What was it doing in Yuki-sensei’s room?

“What kind of teacher has something like this?” Kaede said, picking up the helmet.

“It…cosplay?” Saki said.

“This is real metal, you don’t just make a costume out of this,” Kaede said, rapping her knuckle against it.

Saki opened her mouth to try and come up with something else, when a memory struck her hard in the chest.

_“I saw a lot of demon creatures.  My sister was always trying to hide from them.  One day I saw an entire army of monsters.  And behind them, there was this guy—all in this black armor.”_

Saya’s dream…Saya had dreamed of a man in black armor, someone that her sister was scared of.  W-what was…going on…?

“Y-you shouldn’t be in here,” Saki said.  “It doesn’t matter what you think might be happening, you shouldn’t be in here!  This is wrong!”

“I’m just trying to figure out the truth, what the fuck is wrong with that?” Kaede said.

“No, you’re just—you’re just mad that I stood up to you for once!” Saki shouted.  “You’re just mad that for once I didn’t want to take you making fun of me!”

“I just want my friend back the way she’s supposed to be,” Kaede said.  “I just—!”

“What’s going on here?”

Saki flinched, feeling her face going white.  She turned slowly to see Yuki-sensei standing at the end of the line of rooms, blinking.  He had a plastic bag in each hand that indicated he had just gone down to the snack shop to stock up.

Saki felt like she was going to fall over, her eyes filling up with tears.

“I’m sorry, Yuki-sensei, I didn’t—”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Yuki-sensei said, soothing.  He walked down to meet her, setting both bags down.  He looked like he was going to say something more when Kaede just appeared in the doorway, holding the helmet.  Immediately, he looked like he was about to be sick.

“What on _earth_ are you doing with that?” he said, sounding a little faint.

“I just want to know the truth,” Kaede snapped.  “Are you really a teacher, or not?”

“Kaede, stop it, stop it,” Saki said.  “Please, stop it!”

Yuki-sensei looked slowly between the two of them, and Saki felt like she was on the verge of tears.  Then he ran a hand down his face.

“You shouldn’t really be playing with that,” he said to Kaede.

“What the hell is it?”  Kaede demanded.

“Kaede, it doesn’t matter, you shouldn’t be in people’s rooms—”

“It’s…an heirloom,” Yuki-sensei said.  “One of those…stupid things you get from family members and you’re not allowed to get rid of, you know?”

Kaede didn’t look convinced, and she opened her mouth, but Yuki-sensei reached into his pocket and pulled out his teacher ID.

“Listen, I’m not on the official staff list because I’m an adjunct,” he said.  “I only come in for Osiris.  I’m glad that you care enough about your friend to make sure she’s safe, but you shouldn’t be snooping around.  All you had to do was ask Samejima-sensei, and he would have told you.”

Kaede immediately looked down, her cheeks flushing.  Yuki-sensei reached forward and took the helmet out of her arms.

“Dorm meetings are earlier for Ra, so you should probably get going,” he said.  “I can call your dorm advisor if you want me to, let her know that you might be late.”

“No, I’m fine,” Kaede said.

“Kaede, you should apologize,” Saki mumbled.

Kaede just shot her a brief glare, and without another word, stormed off.  For a long moment, Saki and Yuki-sensei stood in the silence.  Yuki-sensei opened his mouth, but Saki blurted out first.

“I’m sorry!” she said.  “I didn’t know she was—I came to talk to you and she was—”

“Saki-chan, it’s fine,” Yuki-sensei said.  “I understand.  It wasn’t your fault, and I’m not mad.”

He smiled, hefting the helmet under one arm.

“If you still need to talk, though, I can do that.  What’s up?”

Saki’s eyes wandered to the helmet, and while her mouth opened to talk about Kaede and what had happened, she found herself unable to take her eyes off of it.

“Um…Yuki-sensei…what is that?”

Yuki looked down at it, and his smile faded slightly.

“It’s…a thing,” he said.  “Just an old thing that I can’t get rid of.”

Saki swallowed.  She couldn’t stop thinking about what Saya had told her all those weeks ago.  The man in the black armor, that she had seen through her sister’s eyes.  It couldn’t be connected.  Could it?

“Um…it just reminds me…of something that Saya said…” she started.

Yuki-sensei’s lips parted, and then all at once, he looked incredibly sad.

“Oh,” he said.  “So Saya told you about her sister?”

“Not much just…that she disappeared…and that she had dreams about her for a while.”

Yuki-sensei nodded slowly.  Then he sighed.  He ran a hand down his face.

“Want to grab one of those bags for me?  I’ll…uh…make some noodles.  I guess you might as well hear the truth.”

Saki’s heart leaped, but she nodded, and grabbed one of the bags.  She followed Yuki-sensei inside.  He put the bag down on the table, and frowned at the fallen armor.  Then, before Saki’s eyes, he clapped his hands, and the armor, even the helmet in his arms, turned to melted shadow.  The shadows fled across the floor and back into the closet, where it solidified into the armor, put together and standing once again.  He looked at it for just a moment before closing the closet.  Then he went about unpacking his bags.

“Go ahead and sit down, I’ll uh…get some noodles if you’re hungry.”

“Thanks,” Saki said quietly, sitting down at the table.  He bustled for a moment—looked like his bags were almost entirely instant noodles, and he put most of them away before starting two cup ramen.

Saki felt like she was waiting a while before he finally started talking.

“Back when I went to school here,” he said.  “There wasn’t any program for kids with powers.  I showed up, able to see spirits, and not knowing what it meant.”

He sighed as he sat down across from Saki, running his hand through his hair.

“It didn’t matter at first.  Nothing really happened, not much bothered me.  Well, aside from…some random shit that might have been world-threatening while I was in school.”

That didn’t sound like nothing, but Saki didn’t respond.  He passed her a cup noodle and some disposable chopsticks, and she took it with a quiet thank you.

“Saya told you her ghost story about the entire school disappearing, right?” he asked, and she nodded.  “Well…it was true.  It really did happen.  Because…a Duel Spirit from my past came back, and took the entire school away.”

He frowned at his noodles without taking a bite.

“It’s a long story,” he said.

“I can tell,” Saki said, looking at her own noodles.  “So…the armor…”

He sighed, and put his chopsticks down without even separating them.

“A lot of things happened.  We were trapped in the spirit realms for a long time. One friend went missing when we came back, and we had to go back to find him.  It was a much more violent realm we ended up in next, and I watched a lot of people die.”

Saki’s heart clenched.  Oh…oh god…

“I lost myself out there,” he said, quietly.  “I wasn’t much older than you.  I didn’t know what to do.  That was when I awoke some powers I never knew I had.”

He looked towards the closet, where the armor was now hidden.

“I used those powers for the wrong things,” he said.  “I thought I could use power to force my will onto other people, so that I couldn’t be hurt again.  I was wrong.  And a lot of people suffered for it.”

Saki’s heart fluttered.

“Then…Saya’s sister?”

Yuki-sensei looked away.

“I don’t know,” he said, softly.  “I honestly have no idea.  From Saya’s account, it sounds like her sister was there when I was…conquering in that world.  But I don’t remember much of it.  And…I didn’t have control of all the demons there.”

He looked sick, ashen.

“I’ve been looking for her since I met Saya, or some sign of her.  But I don’t have any idea what could have happened.  What happened to me back then…it’s mostly a blur.  I let my powers take control of me, instead of me taking control of them.”

Saki felt sort of cold.  So…so Yuki-sensei had…done something like that…?

“I’m sorry,” he said.  “I know this isn’t something you want to hear.”

She shook her head slowly.

“It’s…it’s not, but…thank you, Yuki-sensei…for telling me the truth.”

Yuki-sensei looked down at the table with a faint, sad smile.

“I’ve told it so many times now that sometimes I forget how much it hurts to talk about, or hear,” he said.  “I’m sorry if I’ve put anything on you.”

Saki shook her head.

“N-no, you haven’t.  Thank you, Yuki-sensei.”

She clenched her hands into her lap, thinking about Kaede then.  The angry look on her face.  What would she say if she knew the truth that he was telling her right now?  She’d be furious…

“I don’t mean to ignore what you’re going through, either,” Yuki-sensei said.  “Do you…want to talk about anything?”

“I…” Saki felt tears in her eyes.  “I had a fight with Kaede.”

“I…figured that might be it.”

“She doesn’t…she’s not very nice, sometimes,” Saki said.  “She said a lot of mean things about Osiris but…I didn’t want to tell her the truth.  I don’t know what she’d think…”

He nodded.

“I’m sorry,” he said.  “That’s not easy.”

“I just…I didn’t like hearing her say stuff like that.  Osiris…I was scared of being here, at first.  I used to be the top student in everything, and I wondered what I had done wrong.  But this…um…”

She looked up quickly at Yuki-sensei.  Her teacher, who had just told her that in another world, when he was not much older than her, had been some kind of evil conqueror who might have killed Saya’s sister.  She didn’t know what to think, or feel.  She didn’t know.

“Osiris is the first place I’ve really felt like it was home,” she whispered.  “And…no matter what…I didn’t want to hear anyone make fun of it.”

Yuki-sensei’s smile was gentle, and Saki could not for the life of her imagine him becoming the thing that he had said he was.

“I’m glad,” he said.  “That’s all I ever wanted from this school. From this program.”

“Really?” Saki said. “Is that why you and Andersen-sensei stated it?”

He smiled again, and nodded.

“We were all lost when we were your age,” he said.  “I wanted to make sure no one had to feel like that again.”

He blew on his noodles and poked at them with the still unseparated chopsticks.

“I wanted to make this a place all of you could call home.”

Saki looked up at her teacher, who wasn’t looking at her.  He had told her the truth, and she didn’t know how to feel.

But…

She trusted him.  She trusted Yuki-sensei.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not original at all, but my favorite arc is the one where Judai becomes the Supreme King lol. Idk, I just really liked the angst ^^;;;


	20. Attack of the Sea Terrors!  Saya versus Saki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saki's feeling really down after what happened the day before, with Kaede and Yuki-sensei. Saya notices, and decides it's up to her to get Saki's smile back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: A duel you wish had happened

“Saki…Saki…yo, Sacchan, earth to Sacchan!”

Saki startled out of her reverie.

“H-huh?  What?” she said.

“You’re looking really out of it,” Saya said, leaning forward so that she was looking at Saki from underneath her.  “Everything okay?”

“Huh…?  O-oh, yeah, I’m fine!”

Saya frowned, looking very unconvinced.  What was she doing sitting over here with the first-years, anyway?  Shouldn’t she be up a few rows, with the other third-years?

The auditorium was packed to bursting.  There was going to be an exhibition match today, and everyone was chattering up a storm, wondering who it was going to be.  The school sometimes brought in pro duelists and alumni to do matches like this, and then afterward there would be a chance to ask the duelists questions about their careers.  Saki was having trouble focusing, though.  She couldn’t shake what had happened yesterday with…everything.

She tried not to look in the direction of the Ra Yellow students, afraid she might catch Kaede’s gaze even from over here.

“Hmmm,” Saya said.  “You’re feeling down.  I can tell.”

“I’m fine,” Saki said, squirming under Saya’s close gaze.

“Everyone, quiet down, quiet down!” Chronos-sensei shouted through his loudspeaker.  “ _Buongiorno_ , that is enough!”

No one really listened, the chatter still thrumming through the room, and Chronos huffed.

Saya looked like she was getting ready to say something else, when her eyes caught on something.  Her face brightened, and she hopped to the railing across from them, leaning over it.

“Ahh!! Edo-san, Edo-san!!”

Saki blinked, following Saya’s gaze.  A tall man with silver hair looked up from where he had just walked through the doors beside the bleachers, and smiled.  He wandered over.  Edo…Edo…that name and face was familiar…

Saki didn’t think of it until he reached them, and then she felt her eyes widen.  Edo _Phoenix_?  The pro duelist??  And Saya knew him by his first name??

“Yo, Saya-chan,” Edo said, smiling. “Are you causing trouble?”

“Always, Edo-san,” Saya said, smiling widely.  “So you’re one of our duelists today?  Who are you facing?”

“They haven’t told me,” Edo said.  “Something about, I know them too well, and would be able to prepare myself then.”

“Oooh, a rival??” Saya said.

“Could be,” Edo said with a laugh.  “I have a lot of those.”

“Is it gonna be Marufuji, maybe? Either of them??”

“No, they’ve been busy lately, so I don’t think they’d be able to make it,” Edo said.  He checked his watch. “I should be heading out there in a minute.”

“Before you go, before you go,” Saya said, waving her hands over the railing.  “Is the rumor true?  Is Saiou-san gonna be a teacher for Osiris?”

Edo blinked with surprise, then he rolled his eyes.

“I want to know where you find these things out,” he said, grinning.  “It’s still up in the air.  Judai wants to expand, of course, and it would be great if he could find teachers that match each class, instead of grouping them up.”

“Awww, that means I’ll probably graduate first,” Saya said.  She flopped over the railing dramatically.  “Okay, well, go ahead and duel, I guess.”

“Glad I could have your approval,” Edo said, chuckling.

“Tell Saiou-san I said hi.”

“Will do.”

He waved, and headed up towards the duel field.  Saki just stared at Saya as she flopped back into her seat.

“You _know_ him?” Saki said.

“Yea, he’s one of Yuki-sensei’s friends, he’s come by classes before,” she said.  “He’s just starting to figure out that he’s got a few powers; sometimes they don’t really show up until adulthood.”

“Whoa,” Saki said, her eyes widening.  “You’re going to have a lot of connections when you graduate.”

“Nah, I’m not really planning on going into the pro dueling scene, so it’s not like it’ll help that much,” Saya said airily.  “Anyway, we were talking about you.  You doing okay?”

Saki quickly looked towards the dueling field.

“Shouldn’t we be watching the duel?” she said.

Saya started to say something, but Chronos’s loudspeaker talked over her.

“All right, everyone, you should be paying respectful attention!! Mr. Phoenix has taken time out of his busy schedule to do this for all of you, na no ne!”

“Who is he gonna fight?” someone shouted.

Chronos swung his loudspeaker in the direction of the shout, probably to shout some more himself.  But he didn’t have to, because the other doors opened, and Edo’s opponent walked out.

“Whoa, Tenjoin-sensei!!” Saya said, her eyes brightening.  “This’ll be good.”

“Ah, I should have known,” Edo said, as Tenjoin-sensei reached the stage and hopped up.  “It’s been a while since I’ve seen your Cyber Angels, Asuka.”

“I thought they needed a workout,” Tenjoin-sensei said, grinning.

“They know each other?” Saki whispered to Saya.

“They went to school together,” Saya whispered back.

Saki turned her eyes towards the duel, a little excited. But seeing Tenjoin-sensei’s yellow jacket—right, she was the Ra Yellow dorm advisor right now—made her stomach do flip flops again.  She looked, unbidden, towards the Ra Yellow students.  She couldn’t see Kaede from here, but…she knew she must be there.

Then she felt Saya’s hand curl around her elbow, and with a squeak, she was yanked out of her seat.

“All right, you, never mind this.  I think you need something else.”

Saki protested, and a few students grumbled when Saya dragged Saki down the aisle, but there was no getting out of Saya’s grip when she wanted to do something.

“We’re supposed to be watching,” Saki said.

“Nah, there will be plenty of chances to watch exhibition matches—you can even watch the recording of this one later if you want.  You need some special treatment today.”

“Saya-senpai—”

It was too late, as Saya was dragging her down the hallway and out of the main duel hall, and then down the corridors to the front of the main campus.  Saki blinked against the sudden sunlight, and Saya finally released her. Saki hopped back and rubbed her arm. It was bright and sunny out here, and still a bit warm from the fading summer.  The wide white walkway, with its little plaques of Duel Monsters lining the sides, spread out towards the island below.

Saya turned then, putting her hands on her hips.

“Something’s happened, right?” she said.

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” Saki said.

“That’s okay,” said Saya.  She lifted up her arm and strapped her Duel Disk to it.  “I think what you need is a good duel.”

“Huh?”

“Come on, just one round.  It’ll be fast.  You need it.”

Saki frowned.  The last thing she needed right now was a duel, but…if it would get Saya off her back.  She turned her own Duel Disk on.

“Duel!” they both said, activating their disks.

Come to think of it, Saki didn’t even know what kind of deck Saya played.  She had never seen any of Saya’s duels; her own examinations tended to be at the same time as the third-years.

“You can go first,” Saya said.

Saki nodded, and looked at her cards.  Nice, she had her whole combo set up already!

“I normal summon Buster Whelp of the Destruction Swordsman,” she said.  “Let’s go, Angel!”

Angel hopped onto the field, whipping his tail around and hissing with hackles raised.

“With his effect, I can add Destruction Swordsman Fusion to my hand,” Saki said. “Then I activate Foolish Burial, to send Buster Blader from my deck to the graveyard!”

She slid the card into her open slot, sending away Foolish Burial with it.

“And then, by Angel’s effect, I can tribute him to special summon Buster Blader from the graveyard!”

Angel turned to light, and swelled into the form of Buster Blader.

“And finally, I activate Destruction Swordsman Fusion, to fuse Buster Blader with the Robot Buster in my hand!  Let’s go!  I fusion summon Buster Blader, the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman!”

Robot Buster leaped from her hand, and the world swirled and pinched together as Buster Blader and Robot Buster became one.  Her most powerful knight stepped forward, armor clinking against the white walkway, sword over its shoulder.

Oh…Saki thought.  Armor…

Her mind went back to the conversation from last night, and the image of the armor.  For a moment, she forgot where she was.

“O-oh, I end my turn!”

Saya whistled.

“Whoa, Sacchan, that was great!” she said.  “Very spooky.  I’m gonna have to work extra hard!  Draw!”

That’s right…Saki thought, feeling hollow as she looked across at Saya.  Saya was the one whose sister was lost…who Yuki-sensei wasn’t sure if she was alive or dead…

“Sorry, Sacchan,” Saya said.  “I really hate to do this after you spent so much work on it.”

Huh?  What was she talking about?

“I activate the effect of a monster in my hand,” Saya said.  “I can tribute one monster on your side of the field to special summon it to your side!”

“What??” Saki said, blinking.  “You’re…tributing my monster?”

“I mean, I’m giving you something back,” Saya said, smiling. “You’ll get a really tough monster!  Okay, let’s go—I tribute summon Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju!”

Buster Blader disappeared in a shattering of light, and then, as though the walkway had turned to water, a massive creature breached out of the ground, sending a holographic spray over Saki’s head. The creature was _massive_ ; bigger than even the top of Duel Academia!  Was she in a monster movie all of a sudden?

“Sorry about that,” Saya said.  “But hey, free monster, right?”

“D-don’t apologize,” Saki said.  “You just need to duel the way you always do.”

Saya laughed.

“All right then,” she said. “I activate the spell card, The Kaiju Files!”

She slipped the card onto her disk, and a desk covered in files appeared, like a messy journalist’s desk.

“Every time a Kaiju is special summoned, it gains a counter,” she said.  “So first, I activate the effect of a monster in my hand.  When you have a Kaiju on your side of the field, I can special summon it!  I summon Gadarla, the Mystery Dust Kaiju!”

Another massive creature appeared in a rush of wind behind Saya.  This one was a gigantic moth, with terrifying pincers and way too many big red eyes.

“My Kaiju Files get a counter,” she said, and a blurry photograph of Gardarla appeared on the table.  “All right, battle phase!  I’ll attack Gameciel with Gardarla!”

Saki swore—the monster that Saya had given her was weaker than Saya’s Kaiju.  She threw her hands over her head as the two monsters briefly clashed, screeching and shrieking, and then Gameciel went down and shattered. God, was she inside of a Godzilla movie?

“Your turn, Sacchan!” Saya said.

Saki pressed her lips together.  That Gardarla was a really powerful monster.  She was going to have to try hard to find something that could combat it…especially since her ace was in the graveyard already!

“I draw!” she said. “I activate Buster Whelp’s effect—by discarding Wizard Buster from my hand, I can special summon him!”

Buster Whelp reappeared on the field, tail flipping.  _Welcome back_ , she thought.  There wasn’t too much she could do, though.

“I’ll set a card, and then play one monster in face down defense,” she said.  “Your turn!”

“Aww man, gotta stall huh?” Saya said.  “All right, my go!  I won’t hold back, Sacchan!”

She drew, and glanced over her cards.

“All right, let’s have a little fun,” Saya said. “I activate the field spell, Kyoutaro Waterfront!”

She threw her spell into the field zone, and the field deployed.  The world shimmered and changed.  Saki found herself standing on the edge of a harbor, with a massive city—almost like Tokyo, she thought—in the background.  Saya was standing on the edge of a boat in the harbor, grinning.

“Every time a card is sent to the graveyard, this card gets a Kaiju counter,” she said.  “So first, I’m gonna tribute your face down monster to special summon a Kaiju from my hand—let’s go, Radian, the Multidimensional Kaiju!”

Saki’s face down card turned black, and then surged upwards like a giant shadow.  The massive, red-eyed shadow creature loomed over Saki’s field, and her eyes widened.  It was so big!  And it was stronger than Gadarla.

“My field spell gains a counter from the card you sent to the graveyard,” Saya said.  “And Kaiju Files gets one for the Radian that was special summoned!”

The desk on the ship beside Saya gained another photograph, while in the harbor between them, a big, pulsating egg shape bobbed up to the surface. Those counters were worrying Saki.  What was she going to use them for?  She had three already.

“All right, battle!” Saya said.  “Gadarla, go for Radian!”

“What?  But Gardarla has less attack!” Saki said.

“That’s the thing about Kaiju,” Saya said with a laugh.  “They love fighting, and they can’t help themselves.” Then she grinned. “Gardarla’s effect!  I can remove three Kaiju counters from anywhere on the field, to halve the attack of all monsters on the field!”

The two photographs, and the bobbing egg shape both vanished into golden sparkles, and those sparkles shot up into the air.  Gadarla shrieked and flapped its wings really hard, sending a blast of dust over the city until it turned gray and smoky.  Radian and Angel both flinched under the dust, and their attack went down.  Radian tried to meet Gardarla’s attack, but the moth shredded through it, and it disappeared into black dust.

“The field gets a counter for the Radian sent to the graveyard,” Saya said. “I set a card, and that’s the end of my turn!  Let’s see what you’ve got!”

Damn, Saki thought.  Saya was really good!  Saki was already at 2300 life points, and she hadn’t touched Saya!  Saki didn’t know if she had anything to counter this…she could summon Buster Blader back from the graveyard with Buster Whelp’s effect, but it wouldn’t be enough to destroy Gardarla. Maybe if she drew into Robot Buster, and boosted Buster Blader’s effect…but Saya would be able to tribute anything that she summoned!  She’d have to be able to win in one turn…

She looked down and saw that Angel was staring at her.  What was he doing?

 _I can be stronger_ , he thought at her, and she blinked.  It was the clearest words she had ever heard from her friend.

 _I want to fight,_ he said.  _Let me be stronger_

Saki felt a thrumming in her heart all of a sudden.  She licked her lips.  Okay, she thought.  She didn’t know what was happening, but…she’d figure it out.

“I draw!” she said. Oh!  She could use this. “I activate the magic card, Monster Reborn, and special summon Buster Blader from my graveyard!”

Angel’s presence felt so hot in her brain all of a sudden.  This was new.  This was something very new.  She swallowed with anticipation.  Angel was…he was more than just an effect monster.

“All right, Angel, I’m following you,” she said.  “I tune Buster Whelp with Buster Blader!”

Saya’s eyes widened, and a huge smile spread over her face.

“Young dragon and ancient dragon slayer, together for the first time, become one,” Saki found herself chanting.  “Synchro summon!  Level eight, Buster Dragon!”

Oooh, Saki thought, her eyes widening as the dragon appeared in a burst of light, clinging to the edge of the harbor beside her. That was…that was Angel.  He was so big!  He had grown up!

The great dragon roared, the sound echoing across the field.  He was dark and feathery, his eyes glowing, wings spread wide and proud.

“When I don’t control a Buster Blader, Buster Dragon can special summon one from my graveyard!  I summon Buster Blader, the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman!”

Her knight reappeared beside the dragon, and Angel roared with excitement.

“All of your monsters are considered Dragon-type,” Saki said.  “And I can also equip Buster Blader with a Buster Sword from my graveyard!  I’ll equip him with Robot Buster!”

Robot Buster appeared, soaring down and dropping off a new sword into Buster Blader’s hands.

“I can send Robot Buster to the graveyard to give Buster Blader an extra thousand attack points! He also gets one thousand attack for each dragon type on your side of the field.  Gardarla is a dragon now, so he’s got a total of 4800 attack points!”

She did a quick calculation in her head.  Destroying Gardarla, and then a direct attack from Buster Dragon, would be 3300 damage.  Not enough to take Saya out, but enough to do a lot of damage!  And she could only tribute one of her monsters at a time for a Kaiju.  If she tributed Buster Blader, Saki could bring it back with Buster Dragon, and if she tributed Buster Dragon, she’d still be dealing with a hefty monster.

“Kyoutaro Waterfront gets a total of three Kaiju counters, from the cards you’ve sent to the graveyard,” Saya said.

“Battle!” Saki said.  “Buster Blader, attack Gardarla!”

Buster Blader surged forward, taking the shrieking moth out of the sky.  Another counter appeared in the water of the field as Gardarla went to the graveyard.

“And Buster Dragon, attack directly!” Saki said.

Buster Dragon let out a long roar, and then blasted fire in Saya’s direction.  Saya put her hands up defensively, and Saki felt a roar of excitement burst through her.  She was doing really well!

“Before you end your turn, I activate my face down card—Interrupted Kaiju Slumber!” Saya shouted then.  “I can destroy all cards on the field, and special summon two Kaiju with different names to each of our fields!”

Oh no!!

“Sorry, Sacchan,” Saya said, smiling apologetically.

Saki’s shoulders slumped a little as both Buster Dragon and Blader disappeared in a burst of sparkles, sending just one more counter into the harbor.  After all that work…

“I’m summoning Gardarla, to your side of the field—and on mine, another Gameciel!”

The sea turtle monster breached out of the harbor, while another moth exploded over the warehouses.

“They have to battle the turn they’re summoned,” Saya said.

“But Gameciel has less attack!” Saki said.

The sea turtle and the moth struggled on the edge of the water for a moment, and Gameciel went back under the breach.

“Kyotarou can’t get any more counters,” Saya said.  “Five is the max.”

“I end my turn,” Saki said gloomily, looking sidelong at her scary moth monster.  But why hadn’t Saya summoned that one to her side instead?

“All right,” Saya said, looking excited.  “This is it, Sacchan.”

“Huh?” said Saki.

“You’ve shown me your best, so I want to do my best too!” she said.  “I summoned my stronger one to your side because I don’t have any more Kaiju in my hand."

“What are you saying?” Saki said.

“If I draw the right one,” Saya said.  “I win.  But if I don’t…you get to direct attack next turn, and you win!  It all comes down to one draw.”

Saki felt her heart rate suddenly go up.  Saya had done that…for this?  Oh gosh…Saya was betting everything on one card!  This was…whoa, she couldn’t think except to focus on Saya’s draw.

The draw seemed to come in slow motion, and Saki wasn’t sure if it was because Saya was drawing it out or if she was just feeling it in slow motion.  Saya turned the card towards her.

She let out a whoop.

“When you have a Kaiju on your field, I can special summon this guy from my hand,” she said.  “Let’s go, Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju!”

The creature exploded behind her out of the water, sending up a pillar of water and steam.  Fire ran all down its back and wings, and it roared, its mouth looking like the entrance to hell.  Oh god, it was Godzilla himself??  A new counter appeared on the Kaiju Files desk.

“Dogoran’s effect!  I can remove three Kaiju counters from anywhere on the field, and destroy all monsters on the field!  Burning Hell Striker!”

Three counters vanished from the harbor, and Dogoran roared.  Saki flinched under the rain of fire that casted down over her head, and the moth went up in shrieking flames.

“Then I remove the counter on Kaiju Files to destroy Dogoran, and special summon Kumongous, the Sticky String Kaiju, from my deck!”

Dogoran vanished in a whirl of smoke and flames, and Saki squeaked as a gigantic spider creature crawled over the back of Saya’s boat, hissing.

“Kumnougous, direct attack!” Saya called out.

Saki could only watch her life points hit zero, and then, the Kaiju, and the field, faded away.  They were back on the walkway outside the main campus.  For just a moment, they both just stood there.

Then Saya whooped.

“That was incredible!” she shouted, running across to Saki and throwing her arms around her. “You were great!  You Synchro Summoned!  I’ve never even done that!”

“Yeah, but you beat me,” Saki said, blushing.  “You’re really good, Saya-senpai.”

Saya giggled and shook Saki back and forth in her hug.  Then she broke away, holding Saki by the shoulders.

“So?” she said.  “Did that get your mind off things?”

Saki was breathing so hard and felt so winded, that for a moment, she didn’t know what Saya was talking about.  Oh, she realized.  She _had_ completely forgotten about everything that she was upset about.

“Oh,” she said.  “Yeah…it did…”

“See!  Nothing a good duel can’t fix,” Saya said, grinning.  “You feel better?”

Saki felt so full and giddy that she couldn’t help but smile.  What a good duel!

“I think so,” she said.

“That’s great!” Saya said, clapping her shoulders.  “Now come on, if we hurry, we can catch the end of Tenjoin-sensei wiping the floor with Edo.”

Saki, however, hesitated before she followed Saya in.

“Um…Saya-senpai?”

“Hm?”

“I…I heard from Yuki-sensei…what happened to your sister.  I mean…about how he’s connected.”

“Ooh,” Saya said.  “So he told ya, huh?”

“Well…someone I know rummaged through his stuff…she found his armor…it’s a long story.”

“So that’s why you’re looking anxiously at Ra?” Saya said.  “Figured you must have had a friend fight.  Well, don’t let it get to you.  It’ll pass if the friendship is real, and if it doesn’t…you’re better off.”

Saki ducked her head, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Thanks,” she said.  “But um…if it’s okay for me to ask…how do you feel about Yuki-sensei?”

“I trust him,” Saya said, without missing a beat.

“R-really?”

“Mmhm.”

Saya ran a hand through her hair and fixed her glasses.

“I know what I saw, and I know what Yuki-sensei’s told me about what happened to him,” she said.  “And if you feel uncomfortable, I get that.  But…”

She shrugged, smiling.

“My sister wouldn’t hold grudges,” she said. “And Yuki-sensei?  He’s great.  He’s been there for me, and for so many others. He’s trying to do his best to help everyone.  So I trust him, and I always will.”

She looked so cheerful…as though it didn’t hurt at all.  Saki felt her own heart clench. Then she smiled.

“I’m glad,” she said.  “Because…I really like Yuki-sensei too.”

Saya grinned, and clapped Saki on the shoulder again.

“That’s the spirit!  Now come on, for real, I want to see how badly Edo got beat.”

As Saki followed her inside, Angel crawled up onto her shoulder, looking beat.  He was small and fluffy again, no longer the full grown dragon he had been in the match.

“Did you have fun?” she whispered.

 _Let’s fight her again,_ he said.

Saki smiled and scratched his head.  She watched Saya’s back in front of her, skipping along and humming to herself, looking so cheerful as always.

A thought occurred to her.

_I…I want to…help find her sister…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly??? it's hard for me to say what kind of duel I wish would happen, so I just threw two of my faves in here XD I feel like most of the duels I cared about already happened, so I just took the chance to add Edo into it where I could XD
> 
> Also, fun facts about Saya: I cannot stop from imagining her as basically just Asuka from Sound! Euponium, and every time I see a picture of that character I do a double take like "wait who drew Saya before I did?" XD


	21. We’ve Been Swapped?!? Nina and Minato’s Very Odd Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taiki messed up a spell, and now Nina and Minato have swapped bodies! While they wait for Judai and Johan to fix this and turn them back, they both end up finding out new things about each other that might bring them closer together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Personality swap
> 
> -brief warning for some anonymous assholes suicide baiting in this chapter

Judai yawned, stretching.  Ugh…good thing it was a weekend, because he felt like shit.  He smacked his dry lips.  Ugh.  He needed some water.

He swung his legs over his bed and shuffled across the floor, shoving his hands into his armpits for warmth.  He had to nudge Pharaoh out of the sink, and the cat glared at him.

“Hey, you’re the one who’d be pissed if I turned the faucet on over you,” he said.  Pharaoh just did one of those haughty cat things, flicking his tail and leaping from the counter.  Judai poured himself a glass of water and downed the whole thing all at once.  He was filling up the cup a second time when he heard a faint tap on the door.

“Um…Yuki-sensei…?”

Oh geez.  Someone needed help.  He set the cup down and grabbed his pants.  Ughhh…it was too early.

 _You’re the one who decided to stay on for the whole year_ , Yubel reminded him.

“It’s not a problem, Yubel, I can do this,” Judai grumbled at her.  He struggled to get his pants on, throwing a jacket over his rumpled tank top.  He checked his hair in the mirror and attempted to push down some of the cowlicks, but it was pretty much a losing battle, so he gave up. 

“Coming, sorry,” he called, stumbling to the door.  He opened it up, glancing blearily into the early morning light.  He almost missed Taiki, looking up for someone who was taller than the short boy for a moment.  Minato was there too, arms folded and looking a little uncomfortable.

“Hayashi-kun, Fujita-kun,” he said. “Something wrong?”

“S-sorry if I woke you up, but um…I think I need help,” Taiki said, wringing his hands.  “I think one of my spells I was practicing for homework up…didn’t do what it was supposed to do.”

“Okay, I can see what I can do, can you tell me what’s going on?”

Taiki grimaced.

“Well…”

And then a shout rang up from above them on the second floor.

“WHAT THE _FUCK_ ,” said Nina, very, very loudly.

Taiki and Minato both winced.

“Ummm…” Minato said.  “Sorry, sensei uh…I think me and Minato switched.”

“What?” Judai said, blinking.  “But _you’re…_ ”

“Nina!!” he heard Nina shout.  “Nina, where the fuck are you?!”

It hit Judai then.

“Ooohh,” he said.  “ _That_ kind of switch.”

*    *    *

Minato and Nina both sat on the other side of the table from Judai, Taiki sitting along the side and wringing his hands.  Minato—or, Nina?—sat awkwardly, hands pressed into her lap and looking very uncomfortable.  Nina—or rather, Minato—sat with their arms folded very tightly against their chest, looking red in the face.

“You can fix this, right?” Minato said, with Nina’s voice.

“I think so, but…it might be a little tricky,” Judai said.

He was trying very, very hard not to laugh.  Yubel was already practically dying of laughter in his head and it was hard not to join in.  The kids were probably a little nervous, it would be bad to laugh.  But oh my god…he didn’t even know this was something you could do accidentally.

“Hayashi-kun, can you explain to me the spell you were practicing?” Judai said.

“It was a transference spell,” Taiki said.  “Moving water from one glass into another.”

“And let me guess—you tried to get a little fancy,” Judai said.

Taiki blushed.

“Nina wanted to watch, and she suggested that we put the glass I was transferring to into her room next door, so I could see if I could move the water from my room to hers,” he said.  “Then she got Morgan to let us put it into her room, to try even farther, and then we put it at the end of the balcony near Minato’s room…”

“And then I suggested that we try switching things,” Nina said, with Minato’s voice.  “So we put juice in one cup, and water in the other, and Taiki was trying to flip them back and forth.  It was really cool!”

“Yeah,” Minato said, with Nina’s voice.   “ _Super_ cool.”

“I got a little too close to Taiki while he was doing the spell, I think,” Nina said, rubbing the back of Minato’s neck.  “And uh…I think Minato-kun was walking out of their room just then.”

“So instead of transferring water between cups, you ended up transferring the souls,” Judai said.  “Well that’s…pretty incredible that you had the power to do that in the first place.”

“I’m too scared to try and switch it back!” Taiki said, looking like he was going to cry.  “What if I mess up and lose one of them?”

“Calm down, Hayashi-kun, it’s going to be okay,” Judai said.  God this was so hard, he wanted to laugh so badly.  How did you even do this by accident??  And with _these_ two, even?  It was too funny.  “Don’t worry.  It was an accident.  I can switch them back, but it’s going to take me a bit to make sure I have everything set up.  I’ll need to go get Johan to help, too.”

“Thank you,” Taiki said, actually crying a tiny bit.  “Thank you, Yuki-sensei.”

He ruffled Taiki’s hair lightly.

“Chin up, kiddo, you didn’t do anything wrong,” he said.  “And as for you two…it’s probably better if you just hang out nearby for now.  We’ll get this fixed, don’t worry.”

“Please,” Minato said, through Nina’s voice.

“Hey, is there something wrong with my body?” Nina asked, putting her hands on Minato’s hips.

“Yes there is: it’s not mine,” Minato said flatly.  They stood up, looking very awkward.  They almost fell over when they stepped back, mumbling something about not being the same size.

“I’m just…going to sit down somewhere,” they said.  “Close by.  You can call me when you guys are ready.”

“I’ll stay in the dorms,” Nina said.  “Let us know!”

“Hang in there,” Judai said.  “This shouldn’t take very long.”

He waited until all three of them were gone, biting hard on his lip.  Only then did he let his head fall down on the table and his shoulders start to shake with laughter.  Holy shit…only at Duel Academia.

*    *    *

Minato was, quite honestly, _upset_.  Of all the people they had to switch with, did it have to be _Nina_?  They thought about going back to their own room, but the idea of seeing Nina’s face in the mirror instead of their own made them feel gross.  Not that there was anything wrong with Nina, of course not…there was just something wrong with them seeing themselves as someone as girly as Nina.  Already they were upset with how much larger their chest felt; it was making them feel way more dysphoric than usual. 

They groaned, stalking off instead towards the woods right near the dorms.  There was a nice rock there they liked to sit on, to calm down sometimes.

They weren’t even halfway into the woods when their pocket buzzed.  Oh shit…they hadn’t given Nina her cell phone back.  That meant Nina had theirs…oh shit, it also mean that Nina had their room keys, so they couldn’t go back to their room even if they wanted to.  Nina was probably going to snoop, too…ugh.

Minato tugged the phone from their pocket, looking at it.  Nina had added no less than three cell phone charms to it: all of them were big, fluffy hamsters, one of them was holding a donut, another had a sunflower seed, and the third wasn’t holding anything.  Geez.

They just meant to close the phone and turn it off.  They didn’t want to snoop, even if Nina was definitely going to.

But the message on the front made them pause, and they blinked.

What the…

Was this…a fucking death threat?  They brought the phone closer to them, squinting at it.  No, that was definitely what it was. It just said _kill yourself already_.

That was some kind of…stupid joke from one of her friends, right?  She had probably made some dumb joke to someone and that was the response. 

Minato was already opening the phone and clicking on the notification.

There were…there were a lot of these, they thought with a sudden cold passing through them.  There were at least twenty messages from one or two different anonymous numbers, and all of them were just…telling Nina to kill herself?  What the fuck?

 _Don’t come back from that freak school_ , one of them said.  _Unless it’s in a body bag you freak._

What the _fuck_ , they thought.  Nina could be overly exuberant, yeah, but what would make anyone tell her to kill herself…?  And how on earth could she be all chipper all the time if this was always happening?  Why hadn’t she blocked the numbers?

 _Nina’s…Nina’s a psychic duelist, like me_ , Minato thought.  Their stomach rumbled with uncertainty.  For a moment, all they could think of were the things they didn’t want to remember.  The five hours they had spent locked in the gym storage shed back in middle school.  The time that they had found a pile of centipedes in their shoe locker.  The nasty graffiti written all over their desk.  The day that they had gotten punched in the face, and as soon as they were on the ground someone or several someones had started stomping on them, screaming at them for being a dangerous freak.

The day that they had accidentally hurt someone with solid vision had been the last day anyone had ignored them, and it had been hell all through middle school until they had found their safety here.

Was…was Nina actually the same?

Minato bit hard down on their lip.  They shouldn’t be snooping, they thought.  But…if Nina was dealing with this all by herself…

They lifted the phone and typed up a message.

_Here’s a better idea: how about you go fuck yourself?_

They probably shouldn’t be responding for Nina, or responding at all—but sometimes these fuckers just needed to hear that they were a fucker.  They blocked the last two numbers, then, and shoved the phone into their pocket. They turned back around to go find Nina.

*    *    *

This was, Nina thought, an _excellent_ opportunity to snoop.  Minato hadn’t asked for their keys back, and Nina had never been in theirs and Hanako’s room.  Maybe she’d find something embarrassing, hehe.

She hummed to herself as she hopped up the stairs and wandered towards Minato’s room, the keys digging in her pocket.  She laughed then at the mental image of stick-in-the-mud Minato humming.  If anyone who didn’t know what was going on saw her like this, they’d think Minato was having a stroke, probably.

She skipped down to the door and tried all the keys until one opened it.  Urgh, though, this thing Minato wore on their chest was a little tight, she couldn’t imagine wearing it all the time.  It made it harder to run around—maybe that’s why Minato didn’t like it when she tried to drag them around all over the place.  She should be a little more careful with them from now on; it probably wasn’t good for them to overexert while wearing a binder.

She peeked into the room: the lights were off, so Hanako wasn’t here, either.  She squinted at the bed first to see if Hanako was sleeping, but when it became apparent that she wasn’t, she turned the light on.

The room was the same layout as hers, and the rest of the rooms: a bunk bed and two desks on the opposite side of the room.  The bottom bunk had some frilly, pale yellow pillows on it and a nice, silky looking bedspread.  The top bunk was just the standard issue bedspread and pillows. That one was probably Minato’s.

Hanako’s desk was the one closest to the door.  It was very neatly organized, with a little organizer that held pretty stationary in different pastel colors.  A small can wrapped in yellow fabric held pencils and pens, and there was a small collection of crystals lining the back table.  An oval photograph, framed with black vine designs, had a picture of Hanako with an older woman who had her arm over Hanako’s shoulders.  Both of them flung a peace sign at the camera, and had almost matching grins, though the woman didn’t look related to Hanako.  Must be that non-blood-related aunt that she talked about a lot.

Minato’s desk, on the other hand, was pretty much cleaned off.  There wasn’t much on it except a stack of textbooks and some homework flung on top of that stack, and one pencil in the middle.  There were no pictures or photos or even a poster of a band anywhere.  It looked a little…sad, Nina thought.  Well, maybe Minato just wanted to have everything mostly clean.

Nina thought for a moment that maybe that was enough snooping. Minato would be mad if they found out she was looking around without asking.  She’d just sit here and wait, Minato would probably be back eventually.

She pulled out Minato’s chair and plopped down—however, in the process, she slammed her elbow against the top of the desk and just barely hit the edge.  Ow!!!

“Geezz,” she groaned, tears prickling her eyes.  “Oops…sorry Minato-kun…”

They’d be the one feeling that later…ooh…darn.  She should have been more careful.

The bump, however, had jostled the old desk, and the drawer had jiggled open a bit.  Oops.  She made to close it, when her eyes caught on something sparkly.  Her desire not to snoop too much more was immediately overcome by the sparkly, and she opened the drawer.

Ooh, she thought, eyes widening.  These were pretty!  They appeared to be picture frames, empty ones.  Some of them were silver with flower designs on the side, and there were two plain wooden ones.  Why did Minato have so many empty frames?

Beneath the frames, the edge of a photo peeked out.  She tugged on it to see it better.

Oh, that must be Minato!  Little tiny Minato—they looked so cute!!  They appeared to be about maybe nine or ten, with the biggest grin on their face that Nina had ever seen on Minato.  Their red hair was actually in cute pigtails, and they were in a pink jumper.  Beside them, there was a girl with white blond hair also in pigtails and in a matching blue jumper.  The two of them were clasping hands and grinning at the screen, looking muddy and messy.  In front of them was a giant fish, and behind them was a river.  They must have been fishing!

“Awww,” Nina said, smiling.  “I wonder why you’re not in a frame!  Minato’s got so many…”

Actually, on closer examination…the picture looked a little beat up.  It had been quite clearly torn into a few pieces and then taped back together, and it was rumpled as though it had once been crumpled into a ball.  Nina frowned.  She wondered what happened.

Then she heard footsteps coming her way, and quickly closed the drawer.

“I wasn’t snooping!!” she said, spinning in the chair as she saw herself in the doorway. Wow, this was really, really weird, seeing her own self the way other people did.

Minato didn’t look mad, though, Nina wasn’t sure how to read her own face.

“Whatever, I figured you would, anyway,” they said.  “I kind of—also snooped.  Sorry.”

Nina clapped her hands to her face.

“OMG,” she said.  “I’m so proud of you, you little rule breaker!”

“Never do that with my face ever again,” Minato said, flushing.  “Anyway I—I wanted to know about this.”

They turned the cell phone towards her, and Nina felt her cheer seeping out.

“Oh,” she said, hands falling into her lap.  “Forgot about that.  Guess you saw it, huh?”

“Is someone harassing you?” Minato said.

“Nah, it’s okay, I just keep blocking them…somehow they keep finding new numbers to call me from.”

“Nina…”

“Really, it’s okay!!  Just some people with no lives, amiright?” she tried to giggle.  Dammit…she hadn’t wanted anyone to know.

Minato let their hand fall to their side.

“I got these too,” they said.

“Huh?”

“Death threats.  I got them shouted at me a lot.  Telling me to jump off a bridge.  It was after they found out what my powers could do.”

Nina looked down at her knees.

“Did you get bullied for that too, or was it something else?” Minato asked.  It was really, really weird hearing her own voice talk to her.

“…yeah,” she said.  “Um…I was really excited when I found out what I could do.  No one really liked me even before then, I guess I was annoying?  But um…”

She shifted in her seat, opening and closing her hands.

“I wanted to show everyone, so I had Exploder Dragon come out to say hi.  And then they got scared when he, ya know, exploded.  They tried to steal my cards.  I had to leave them at home after that, but they didn’t…stop.”

Uh oh, she was crying.

“That’s old history now, though,” she said, smiling.  “I’m here with everyone else and I’m happy!  I think the best way to get back at them is to just live a really happy life, huh?”

Minato looked down, the bangs falling over their eyes.

“God,” they said. “You’re so much better at this than me.”

“What?  No, but you’re all tough and stuff,” Nina said.  “I just laugh a lot and pretend it doesn’t hurt.”

“Yeah, and I just scowl a lot and pretend it doesn’t hurt,” they said.  “Which one of us is happier, you think?”

Nina’s eyes wandered to the drawer where she had seen the photo.

“So…the same things kinda happened to you, too?” she said.

Minato looked down at the floor.

“I haven’t had much luck with friends before now,” they said.

“Is…um…is that why your photo is all torn up?”

Minato’s eyes flashed up, and for a moment, they did look mad.  But then they slumped.

“…yeah,” they said.

“Um…who was she?  If you don’t mind me asking.”

Minato ran a hand down their face.

“Her name was Aimi,” they said softly.  “She was my best friend in elementary school.  We had…a lot of plans together.  We were going to fill up all these photo frames with the stuff we did together.”

That would explain the empty frames, Nina thought.  Minato licked their lips, looking upset.  They couldn’t meet Nina’s eyes.

“She was the one I hurt, with my powers.  It was an accident.  But she never saw it that way.  She thought I was jealous of her…she was more popular than I was, and did better at school and sports, and she thought that I was trying to get her out of the way.  She turned on me.”

Nina pressed a hand to her mouth, eyes bubbling with tears.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

Minato shook their head.

“It’s like you said.  Old history,” they said, half smiling.

Nina looked at her knees.

“Why do you hold onto it?” Nina asked.  “The photo, I mean.”

Minato didn’t answer, but Nina thought she understood.  They didn’t know either.  Nina stuck her tongue out in thought.  Then she jumped to her feet.

“Hey, Minato-kun.”

“What?”

Nina plucked her phone from Minato’s fingers, threw her arm over their shoulder, and turned the phone towards them.  Minato didn’t move until they heard the click.

“H-hey,” they said.  “What…”

“There!!” Nina said, turning the phone back to them.  It looked so weird—Minato’s face grinning and Nina’s face looking confused and miffed.  “Let’s make some new pictures, Minato-kun.”

Minato just stared at the phone for a moment, mouth hanging open slightly.

“Everything that already happened is over,” she said.  “For both of us!  And we found a place where we feel happy and safe here with other people like us.”

She looked at her own photo, and grinned.  It was so funny—a memento of the strange day where she and Minato had been each other.

“So forget those memories you didn’t make!  Let’s make new ones, and fill up all your frames!!”

Minato stared at her.  And then a faint smile cracked over their lips.

“God,” they said.  “You have no idea how weird it is hearing that come out of my own mouth.”

“I think I have an idea,” Nina said, and both of them smiled.  Then Minato laughed, and Nina was laughing, and both of them were just sitting on the floor, laughing their asses off when Judai and Johan finally came back to tell them they were ready to switch them back.

*    *    *

Minato looked down at the photo in their fingers—their own fingers, finally.  They were back in their own good old body.  That felt way better.

Their own self grinned up at them, looking so happy that Minato thought they would burst.

Did it hurt to look at this?  They couldn’t quite tell.

Behind them on the desk, there was already a new set of photos. Nina had dropped them off earlier—selfies she had made them take with Saki, and Miu, and pretty much everyone in the dorm.  And on top was the one weird on that looked like Minato had taken it with a confused Nina behind them.  That would be a fun story to tell future grandkids.

They looked at the photo in their fingers, of them and Aimi, for just one more moment.

Then they slowly ripped it in have, along the lines they had ripped it before, and began to tear it into tiny pieces.  They let them go outside the window, the pieces scattering in the wind. 

There were new memories to make.  And there was no room for a memory that would hold them back anymore.


	22. Plan Start! Operation Find Saya’s Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saki is now determined to help find Saya's missing sister, and she gets the rest of the first-years in on the plan. But she's worried--is this a good decision, or a bad one?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: favorite outfit

It was crowded in Saki’s room again. Saki perched on top of her desk, glancing around at everyone pushed together in her room. It was the entirety of the first-year class in Osiris all squished into her room, just like the first night here.

“So what’s going on?” Nina said, raising her hand from where she sat on the floor. “What’s the meeting for?”

“I didn’t expect you to tell everyone,” Saki said, blushing a little bit.

She had told Nina that she wanted to talk to everyone—everyone meaning, her, Nina, Miu, and Minato. She had kind of thought that they were a group by now. Nina had interpreted that as the entire class, and someone, all of them had come.

Was this bad of her to share this information with everyone? She thought. Saya didn’t seem to mind talking about it, but…

Saki sucked in a breath.

“Um…okay,” she said. “Wasn’t expecting everyone to show up, but…who here knows about Saya-senpai’s sister?”

To her surprise, more than half the room raised their hands.

“What?” Akiara said, looking confused as she looked around. “W-what am I supposed to know?”

“I’m afraid I’m out of the loop as well,” said Hanako.

“Do tell,” Morgan said, leaning forward on her hands from where she sat on one of the only chairs in the room, elbows on her knees.

Saki licked her lips.

“Well, considering everyone else seems to know,” she mumbled. “Saya-senpai has an older sister who used to go here. But she disappeared from that old honors dorm years ago, and she’s the only one who never reappeared.”

Akiara put her hands over her mouth with horror and Hanako looked pained. Morgan tutted softly.

“And what’s the meeting about, then?” Taiki asked, shifting on his seat on the edge of the bed, near Miu.

“I…I thought maybe…we could try looking for her,” Saki said. It sounded lame when she said it out loud—what could she, or any of them, do that Yuki-sensei wasn’t able to do? “I mean—you know, we all have powers and stuff, and from what it sounds like, Saya-senpai’s sister was in one of the spirit realms, so we could ask our spirit partners to look or something…”

She rambled a bit until Minato, standing next to her, put a hand on her shoulder. She stopped talking and felt a heat run over her cheeks.

Before she could apologize for wasting everyone’s time, however, Nina shot to her feet.

“That sounds like a fantastic idea!” she said. “We should get some of the second- and third-years on it, too—but we have to keep it a secret from Saya-senpai, so it’s a top secret mission!”

“Of course you’d be down already,” Minato said, rolling their eyes—but they were smiling.

“Count me in!” Taro said, leaping up. “I might not be able to get to the spirit world now, but I know a lot about it! I can help your spirit partners narrow down their search areas!”

“Come to think of it,” Hanako said suddenly. “I had…I had some kind of vision a while back, while practicing with Lin-senpai. In hindsight, the girl I saw…she looked a little like Saya-senpai…”

“Why didn’t you say something about that before??” Nina said, grabbing Hanako’s shoulders and shaking her.

“I-I told Andersen-sensei and he told me not to worry about it!” Hanako said.

“Don’t worry, Nina’s just getting hyper, as usual,” Minato said. “Okay, great, sounds like we might have a lead. Hanako-chan, why don’t you talk to Taro and see what you can remember from your vision. Maybe Taro will recognize the place you saw the girl in.”

Hanako nodded, and Taro plopped down next to her, leaning forward with his tail wagging.

“Miu and I can talk to our spirit partners and ask them to look around,” Saki said, looking across at Miu. Miu nodded with a faintly determined look on her face. “And Minato and Nina, Miu and I should be able to help you talk to your monsters, too, so that they can also help.”

“Yes!!” Nina said, punching the air.

“What about the rest of us?” Anani asked, raising her hand.

Saki hadn’t thought it through that far, so she hesitated. Minato, however, picked up the slack.

“Anani, do you have any contact with your father?” they asked.

“A little,” Anani said. “Oh! I could definitely get a message to him.”

“Once we have more information about where Saya-senpai’s sister might be, try contacting him, and see if he can join in the search.”

“I’ve got no one to contact,” Morgan said, shrugging.

“A-and…um…what should I do?” Akiara asked.

“Or me?” said Taiki.

“Well, Taiki-kun—you have spells that can help increase oracle powers, right?” Saki said.

“Uh-huh,” said Taiki. “Oh! I could help Hanako scry for her.”

“That’ll work,” Saki said. “Akiara-chan and Morgan-chan…maybe you guys could help make sure Yuki-sensei and Andersen-sensei don’t get us in trouble for this.”

“U-um…” Akiara said. “I don’t know how to do that, but I could…ask Ji-U and Eun for help…”

“Sure,” Saki said. “They’re good at misdirection and stuff.”

“I can certainly be distracting,” Morgan said, puffing out her chest. “All right. I’m in.”

“Let’s do this thing!!” Nina said, punching the air.

* * *

Saki leaned out through the window, watching the moon rise. The breeze blew her hair back—it was cool, autumn-y. It felt nice.

“Are you okay?” Miu whispered from the bed.

Saki let her head fall.

“After we did this, um…I was starting to wonder if maybe it was a bad idea,” she said. “We’re just kids…and Yuki-sensei’s been looking for almost three years. What can we do?”

“Our best,” Miu said quietly.

She didn’t make a sound for a few moments.

“If someone finds Saya-senpai,” Miu said then. “Miu can go after her.”

Saki startled, looking up and back at Miu. Miu’s eyes glittered from the moon in the dark, looking like a cat’s.

“What do you mean?” she said.

“Miu can…Miu can go between worlds,” Miu said, squirming in her seat. “Miu never told anyone.”

Saki’s lips parted.

“You mean…”

“Miu can do it in her sleep sometimes,” Miu said quickly. “But Miu can also just…go completely. Miu can go out and bring Saya-senpai’s sister back with Miu.”

This was—huge, Saki thought. She had never heard of that being a power that one of them could have. Could Miu actually…?

She smiled tentatively.

“Can you bring people with you when you do that?”

“Sometimes,” Miu said. “Miu thinks she can bring Saya-senpai’s sister back with Miu, at least.”

“Could you…bring me with you, too?” Saki said. “I don’t want you to have to go alone.”

Miu didn’t respond for a moment. Then, in the dark, a tentative smile grew over her face.

“Miu would like that,” she said quietly.

They didn’t say anything more. And in a few more moments, Saki heard the faint snoring sounds that meant that Miu had fallen asleep. Saki turned her eyes back out towards the night. They weren’t doing anything…super dangerous yet. They were just asking their spirit partners to go to places they already lived to look. She and Miu weren’t planning on jumping to other worlds without thinking about it for a long time first. So why did she feel so nervous…?

She heard a faint rustling, and when she looked down, the air was rippling. Hm? She leaned a little farther out of her window, squinting.

Next thing she knew, the air parted, and Yuki-sensei stumbled through. He looked…well, mussed, Saki thought. His hair was sticking up in weird places, there was dirt on his cheek, and his clothes were rumpled and even had a few tears in the knees of his jeans. He stumbled a bit before catching himself, arms out wide for balance. Then he sighed, shoulders slumping. It was the first time Saki had seen him in anything other than his old Osiris jacket, instead he was in a rumpled, slightly torn and faded green jacket.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. And only then did he blink, and look up at Saki. A faint, awkward smile grew over his face.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” he called.

Saki ducked her head.

“I’ll go to bed soon, I promise,” she said. “I was just…thinking.”

Yuki-sensei nodded, wandering a little closer so that he didn’t have to shout.

“Nah, I feel. I’m not your dad or anything; just want to make sure you’re not falling asleep too much during class. Didn’t help me when I was a student.”

He winked, and she giggled. Her giggle faded, though, when she remembered what she and the others were going to be doing. And about how they weren’t telling their teachers. Maybe…maybe they should be.

“Yuki-sensei?” she called.

“What’s up? Need to talk?”

“No, just to ask a question, it’s a little dumb, maybe,” Saki said. “Um…when you were in school…did you ever feel like you wanted to do something that…well, you think it’s the right thing, but you’re worried that maybe it’s not.”

She wondered if she was being too obvious. She wondered if Yuki-sensei would press her.

He just half smiled.

“Saki-chan, that pretty much describes about ninety percent of my high school life,” he said. “Yes. I felt like that all the time.”

He tucked his hands into the pocket of his jacket.

“I can’t tell you much without details,” he said. “And I won’t make you tell me. But I think you’re a smart kid. All of you are. I’ve only been your teacher for less than a year, but you guys know what you’re doing better than I ever did.”

He grinned.

“So if you think it’s the right thing to do, then just do your best,” he said. “And if something goes wrong, ask for help. That’s what Johan and I are here for. That’s what all your teachers are here for—to support you when you want or need it.”

Saki bit her lip. And then she smiled. That was…well, she didn’t know if Yuki-sensei would say the same thing if he knew what they were doing. But it was reassuring. And she felt like she was breathing a little easier.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Of course, if you’re planning on doing something really ridiculous, I’d like to know before hand,” he said, wagging one finger at her. “I am still responsible for you kiddos.”

Saki laughed.

“Of course, Yuki-sensei. Thank you.”

He saluted her with two fingers.

“All right, you get some rest, all right? School tomorrow.”

“I will. Good night, Yuki-sensei.”

She pulled out of the window and closed it up behind her. For a moment, she just stood there in the dark, breathing.

“Okay,” she whispered. “Let’s do this thing.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a MASSIVE STRETCH LOL
> 
> but my fave outfit is that green jacket that Judai wears exactly once in the second to last episode of GX; it's a super cool ass jacket and I want it
> 
> hey i mean the jacket was in the chapter, right?? XD


	23. Field Trip! Ji-U and Eun are...?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Duel Academia's annual field trip to Domino City, and the class is getting a tour of Kaiba Corporation. Ji-U and Eun know that there are some resources there they can use to help the first-years search for Saya's sister, so they take Akiara off to go look for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Favorite Friendship

“All right, okay, everyone, stay with me!” Yuki-sensei shouted over the group.  “Osiris first-years, stay with me so we can take roll call!”

“Third-years here!” Andersen-sensei shouted, waving his arms. “Second-years with Hibiki!”

Akiara clutched her back to her stomach, skittering off towards the other first-years.  Eun waved at her from her group just a few feet away, and Akiara shyly waved back.

The sun beamed down on them from a clear blue sky, not a cloud in sight.  It made the entire city sparkle and glow.  The city skyline looked like studded diamonds, humming distantly with the sounds of cars and trains.  Akiara breathed in a deep breath.  Domino City didn’t smell like a city at all—it had a clear, clean scent, and she caught the hint of the last flowers of autumn on the breeze.  It was a testament to Domino being one of the first cities to switch almost entirely over to clean energy, solar, wind, and the newly developing Momentum.  There wasn’t even the slightest bit smog in the air. 

“Wow!” Nina said, standing on her tiptoes.  “I’ve never been here before!!  I feel like I’m walking on holy ground.”

She tapped her feet against the ground.  Minato snorted.

“Please, it’s just a city,” they said.

“A city where the _best duelists in the world_ once fought!!” Nina said.  “Come on!! Battle City??  The harbor where Duelist Kingdom started??”

“Yeah, yeah, and next you’re going to tell me about those rumors about Mutou Yugi being an ancient Egyptian pharaoh,” Minato said, rolling their eyes.

“Actually,” Yuki-sensei said suddenly, grinning as he looked over the group, clearly counting and marking them down on his clipboard.  “That part was true.”

Minato’s mouth dropped open.  Nina laughed and punched them on the shoulder.  Akiara’s ears perked up too. No way…really?  She had heard all those rumors flying around the internet, too, but there was no way…oh, well, she supposed that her roommate was a zombie.  So…it was more than possible.  She felt her ears turn red for being incredulous when her own life was so silly.

“I told you!! Holy ground!”

“I’ll be happy to tell you guys all the cool stories about the legendary duelists of Domino later,” Yuki-sensei said.  “First though, we’ve got to keep with the field trip itinerary.  First, we’re going to go check in to the hotel we’ll be in.”

“Is it true that Osiris Red has to sleep outside?” Taro said, hand shooting up into the air.

Yuki-sensei laughed.

“We did when I was a student,” he said.  “But no, the school can’t do that—we finally care about liability issues.”

He winked.

“Okay, first-years, looks like everyone is here, stick with me!  After we check in, we’re going to get a tour of Kaiba Corporation, so make sure you guys all be respectful.”

“Holy _shit_!!” Nina said, punching the air.

Akiara felt a finger tap her shoulder, and flinched.  Eun drew back guiltily.

“Sorry,” she whispered.  “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“What do you need?” Akiara said, trying to get her heart to settle.

“Ji-U and I are totally down to help find Saya-senpai’s sister,” Eun said, and Akiara brightened; she hadn’t gotten a response to her text to Eun earlier.  “We can find some cool stuff at Kaiba Corp that can help.”

“Huh?  But wouldn’t that be kind of…trespassing?”

“Don’t worry, trust me,” Eun said, smiling.  “Meet up with me at Kaiba Corp.”

She winked and then scurried back to the second-years.  Akiara watched her go, hugging her bag a little tighter to her chest.  Eun was so confident…Akiara wished she could be like that…

*    *    *

“Whoaaaaa,” Akiara heard Nina say distantly.  Akiara thought that she had to agree.

Kaiba Corporation was the tallest building in the entire city.  The massive glass construction loomed over their heads.  Beautiful silver statues of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon stood on either side of the walkway up to the doors.

“Okay, now, everyone please try to stay with your chaperone,” Andersen-sensei called. “Please don’t touch anything you aren’t invited to touch, and be respectful.”

“It was very kind of Kaiba Corporation to let us see the inner workings of their company, so please remember that,” Hibiki-sensei said.

Akiara scurried up the stairs, trying to keep up.

“We saw all this last year,” she heard Saito complaining.  “And the year before that.”

“But they have new stuff every year,” said Jian, who sounded excited.  “I wonder what they’re working on now!”

The big doors opened, and they all filed into the main lobby.  Oooh, Akiara thought, mouth opening wide as she looked up at the room.  This was beautiful.  Everything was silver and platinum, glowing and futuristic.  The smooth, smoky floor spread out from their feet, and over their heads, large renditions of popular Duel Monsters hung from the ceiling.  There was, of course, a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and then beside it, renditions of Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl.

“I wonder if Dawn-sensei knows about that,” Taiki whispered to the group, giggling as he pointed at the image of Dark Magician Girl.

“She does, and she’s insufferable about it,” Yuki-sensei said, seemingly having heard Taiki easily.  “Okay, everyone, for easier travel, we’re splitting up into classes, and we’ll be going on rotating tours of the different areas.”

Akiara felt a hand brush hers gently, and glanced back to see Eun and Ji-U.  Ji-U nodded off towards the side.  Akiara glanced nervously at their teachers, but all three seemed preoccupied with organizing the group.  This felt like a bad idea…but she didn’t want to let her friends down.

She let Eun tug her off to the side, and they snuck behind the group towards a door on the right side.

Akiara flinched as they approached the security guard standing next to the door—but to her surprise, the guard just smiled and nodded at them, and they walked through easily.

“How did you do that?” Akiara asked, looking behind them as they walked through to the hall beyond.  “You didn’t use magic on him, did you?”

“Huh?  Oh, nah,” Eun said.  “He knows us.”

“He what?”

“Come on, I think I know exactly what we can borrow to help us out,” Ji-U said.  “This way.”

Ji-U marched down the hall, and Eun went after her, still holding Akiara’s hand.  Akiara was too embarrassed to draw attention to it, so she just let Eun hold on to her.  She jumped every time they passed someone in the halls, but to her surprise every time, most of them either just glanced at them and kept walking or actually smiled at them.  What was going on…?

“Aren’t we going to get in trouble?” Akiara asked.

“Nah,” Ji-U said.  “Well, I mean, Andersen-sensei might scold us.”

“But we’re not supposed to be in here, right?” Akiara said.

Ji-U blinked and glanced over her shoulder.

“Wait, did we never tell you?”

“I don’t think it came up, come to think of it,” Eun said.

“Did you tell me what?” Akiara said.

The twins stopped, and glanced at each other.  Eun looked actually a bit red, and Ji-U half smiled.

“Oops,” Ji-U said, bopping herself on the head.  “Sorry.  We try to keep it on the down low, so we don’t really remember to bring it up.”

“Bring what up?”

“We’re not in trouble because we basically live here,” Eun said.  “Look.”

She dug out her student ID and passed it to Akiara.  Frowning, Akiara looked down at it and tilted her head. What was she looking for…?

Oh.  Oh!  Her eyes widened.

The name beneath Eun’s picture read _Eun Ishtar Kaiba_.

“You two are _Kaibas_?” Akiara said, eyes snapping up to them.

“Ishtar Kaibas,” Ji-U corrected.  She fumbled for a thin cord around her neck, and pulled out what appeared to be a card shaped necklace from under her shirt.  She popped it open—oh, it was a locket!—and turned the picture towards Akiara.  It was a huge family photo, Akiara saw, of what looked like more than a dozen people shoved into it.  She recognized Ji-U and Eun immediately, but they were surrounded by six other kids with differing skin tones, hair colors, and ages.  Near the top of the picture over the kids were a trio of adults; the one on the right end was very obviously none other than Kaiba Seto.  Beside him, in the middle, was a woman that looked a lot like Eun and Ji-U, with long platinum blue hair and pale skin, and beside that woman was a dark brown-skinned woman with black hair and pretty blue eyes.  There appeared to be two other families next to them, one was probably Kaiba Mokuba with his wife and kids, and the others looked like they were probably related to the dark-skinned woman.

“ _Um_ and _tosan_ couldn’t agree on which of their names to give the kids,” Ji-U said, pointing at Kaiba and the dark-skinned woman, before moving her finger to the white haired woman, “and _diska_ wanted both of their names since she didn’t have a surname at all, so they dueled and _diska_ won.”

“Our parents are kind of ridiculous,” Eun said.

“Our _family_ is kind of ridiculous,” Ji-U said, clicking the locket shut.

Akiara’s head spun.  Her friends were…they were related to _Kaiba Seto_?  Not only that, but they were his _daughters_?  She didn’t know what to think all of a sudden.  No wonder they could walk all through Kaiba Corp without being in trouble!  And Ishtar…Ishtar…that name was familiar too; had she seen it in some big dueling news or history one time?

“Is…is your father here, then?” Akiara said.

“Probably,” Eun said.

“ _He’s_ actually the one who practically lives here,” Ji-U said.

“But we’re not gonna say hi to him today since we’re here to steal things,” Eun said, giggling.

“S-should you be doing that?” Akiara said.

“Eh, we’re just borrowing it,” Ji-U said.  “He won’t mind.”

“Shouldn’t you ask first?”

“If we want to get in line for an appointment,” Eun said, rolling her eyes and grinning.  “Anyway, come on, the lab is this way.”

Akiara handed Eun her student ID back, and then Eun grabbed her hand again and led her down the hall again.  The people they passed on occasion started to fade away until they were alone in the hall, while Akiara’s head spun.

Her friends were Kaibas.  She hadn’t had any idea.  They were already so cool and now…what did they even want to do with her?  She wasn’t from any powerful family; her parents were bakery owners.  She wasn’t good at using her powers like they were, or good at Duel Monsters, or anything…what was she even doing here with them…

Eun finally dropped her hand as they reached a doorway.  She tapped the lock.

“Hah,” she said.  “He didn’t change it.”

“Told you he’d forget to,” Ji-U said.

“W-what are we looking for, anyway?” Akiara mumbled.

“ _Tosan_ has been working on some interdimensional stuff,” Eun explained, as Ji-U leaned down to start jimmying the lock.  “There’s a big portal thing that I think they used once to bring Duel Academia back when it got scooped up into another dimension.”

“We can’t carry that, obviously, but there are some smaller headsets for talking across dimensions,” Ji-U said.  “If we do that plan that Miu-chan was talking about, and send her and Saki to another dimension, it’ll be good if we have a way to talk, right?”

“Right,” Akiara said.  They were so smart and they had the resources to back it up, even.  She wondered why she was being brought along, anyway.  She couldn’t contribute anything…

Ji-U got the lock open and the door swung open.

The room was quiet and dark, but when Eun turned on the lights, a mysterious and fascinating space opened up.  Akiara knew her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn’t help it.

The room was monstrous—the ceiling loomed at least a story over their heads.  Massive tables lined the space neatly, with a large open space at the other end, empty except for a massive upright ring.  It looked like the Stargate, Akiara thought, remembering an old show she had seen as a kid.  But it was a little damaged, burnt at the edges.

“ _Tosan_ said it got fried from the duel energy they were using to connect the two worlds,” Eun said.

“Yeah, it was actually Andersen-sensei who dueled through it,” Ji-U said.  “He told us that story last year.”

“Let’s hurry, the tour group might come through here,” Eun said.  “There are two headsets over here I think, if they didn’t get moved.”

“Should we take both?”

“We should only need the one; it sends an astral projection to talk to the person on the other side, so they don’t need to wear one.  And if something goes wrong, we can come back for the other.”

Akiara shifted from foot to foot, waiting while the twins chattered at each other.  She still didn’t really know why she was here…why did they bring her along if she couldn’t do anything?  She hung back while the twins scurried forward for the headsets.  She should just wait by the door.  Nothing she could do, after all…

A soft squeak rang out in the hallway behind her, and she jumped in spite of herself.  Oh no, they were going to get in trouble after all!  The sound and her subsequent flinch made her somehow lose her footing on the smooth floor.  She wheeled her arms for balance, and her hand smacked against something on a table beside her.  She felt a faint prickling electricity run up her palm—she heard someone shout her name, and then for just a breath, things went dark.

It felt like she had been out for only a second, just long enough to close her eyes and open them again—but she wasn’t standing in the lab room anymore…where was she?

“Hey, are you okay?  Easy now.”

Akiara squinted.  There was someone standing over her, propping her up.

“Easy.  It’s okay.”

That wasn’t Eun’s or Ji-U’s voice.  They must have gotten caught. Oh no…she had gotten them caught, probably, because she had touched something she wasn’t supposed to, and…she was just a failure.

“Hey, hey, don’t cry.  It’s all right.”

Akiara managed to open her eyes fully, and she saw an adult face looking down at her.  He was clearly older than her, but his face was still a little round, like a teenager.  He had big gray eyes behind tiny glasses, and his shaggy blue hair was sticking out a bit to both sides.  He smiled.

“W-where am I?” Akiara asked.

“Looks like you accidentally touched a neural connector patch,” the man said.  “Your mind got pulled into Kaiba Corp’s virtual reality program.”

“T-that sounds pretty far-fetched.”

The young man smiled with a faint chuckle.

“So does everything that Kaiba Corporation does.  Are you feeling all right?  Don’t worry, those patches only work for a few minutes, and you’ll wake up in the real world then.”

Akiara sat up.  She felt mostly okay.  Just a little…upset.

She glanced nervously at the young man—he was dressed in a long black coat that didn’t seem to suit him, with a lot of belts and straps attached to it.  She thought she should recognize him, somehow.

“Um…so why are you in this…virtual reality?” she asked.

It didn’t look much like virtual reality.  In fact, she thought she was just sitting on what appeared to be a vast open field.  If she squinted, she thought she could make out a…a duel field, at the bottom of the hill.

“Oh, I was helping test it out,” the young man said.  “You must be from Duel Academia, right?  I bet you’re on a field trip.”

“R-right,” Akiara said.  “You’re right.”

The man stood and extended a hand to her, and she took it shyly, letting him help her to her feet.

“I went to Duel Academia too,” he said cheerily.  “I see you’re an Osiris kid; that was my dorm my first year.”

“Oh, r-really?” Akiara said.  Maybe he was familiar because she had seen him in an old class photo?

He nodded.

“That was back before Osiris was special,” he said, winking.  “Before Judai and Johan got a hold of it.”

Akiara’s eyes widened.

“You know them?”

“I went to school with both of them; Judai was my best friend,” he said.  “My name’s Shou.  Marufuji Shou.”

Oh!! Akiara thought, her eyes widening further.  That’s why she knew him!  He was the founder of the Kaiser League, and the still-current champion of it!  No wonder he was being asked to help test virtual reality; he was an excellent professional duelist!

“T-that’s amazing,” she said, awed.  “Y-you and Yuki-sensei must have been really cool…”

She blushed as she realized she had said that out loud.  Shou laughed a little.

“I don’t know about me,” he said.  “I wasn’t very cool back then.”

Akiara looked down.  Cooler than her, probably.  She was just…her.

“Hey, are you all right?  You were crying a little when you woke up here.  Need to talk about anything?”

Akiara bit her lip.  Normally, she wouldn’t say a word.  Normally, she’d bite it down and pretend everything was fine, like usual.  But…things weren’t very usual anymore.  They hadn’t been since somehow she had ended up friends with the twins.  If she could really call herself their friend…

“My…my friends that I was with before now,” she mumbled.  “I guess I just feel like…I’m not good enough for them.”

She shifted on her feet.  Oh, she shouldn’t have said anything…why did she say anything?

And then to her surprise, she felt Shou’s hand briefly patting her head.

“You know?” he said.  “I used to feel the same way towards Judai.”

“R-really?” Akiara said, looking back up.  “ _You_?”

“Yup, me,” Shou said, smiling.  “Judai was always way more effortless than me at everything he did.  He was an Osiris Red, but it didn’t bother him the way it bothered me.  He won duels without thinking about it, and did crazy, adventurous things that I’d never think of even trying.”

He sighed, putting his hands into his pockets.

“Sometimes I wondered why he even involved me in anything,” he said.  “Sometimes, I wondered why he wanted to be friends with someone like me.”

Akiara’s heart thrummed in her chest.  That was exactly the way she felt!  Exactly!

“H-how do you deal with it?” she asked, clenching her hands together over her chest.  “How do you…get over it?  How do you feel better?”

Shou smiled.  He leaned down a bit so that he was closer to her height.

“You remember that they’re your friends for a reason,” he said.  “And that the way that you see them as cool?  They probably see you as cool too.”

“Not me,” Akiara said immediately.

“They chose to be your friends, right?  Don’t sell yourself short.”

He smiled.

“Looks like you’re about to wake up,” he said.  “I hope I can meet you again sometime.  Keep it up!”

Akiara looked down at her hands—they were fading away?

She looked up, mouth opening, but she wasn’t sure what she was going to say next.

And then she was opening her eyes on the floor again, Eun staring down at her with her face even paler than usual.

“Oh thank goodness!!” she said, hugging Akiara in a suffocating embrace.  “I wasn’t sure what you touched!  You just passed out!”

“Are you okay?” Ji-U said, leaning down over her, biting her lip with nerves.

Akiara couldn’t talk for a second, her throat felt dry.

“I’m fine,” she said.  “Um…I’m okay, Eun-chan.”

Eun released her when Akiara squirmed a bit, holding up her hands.

“I’m sorry!” she said.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Akiara said.  “I’m sorry for being trouble…maybe I shouldn’t have come with you.  You two knew what you were doing.”

“I mean, yeah, we did,” Ji-U said.  “But what fun would it have been without you?”

Akiara’s lips parted.

 _They chose to be your friends for a reason_ , Shou had said.  She smiled faintly.

“Thank you,” she murmured.  _For being my friends._

“For what?” Ji-U said, blinking.

“Nothing,” Akiara said.  “Um…we should probably try and meet up with the rest of the class before Yuki-sensei notices we’re missing, right?”

“We’ll sneak you back to the first-years,” Eun said.  “Hurry!! We know the back ways!”

Akiara smiled as she let Eun, and then Ji-U, both take her hands and hurry her along.

_Thank you Shou-san._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My fave friendship will always be Judai and Shou :) they're just such good bros, and they take care of each other.
> 
> Translation notes: "um" is mother in Arabic, and that's what Ji-U and Eun call Ishizu. "tosan" is, you probably know, "father." and "diska" is a made up dragon word meaning mother, which is what the twins call Kisara :)


	24. E Hero! – The Extracurricular Osiris Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the last day of the Duel Academia field trip, the Osiris class is going to the spirit world! What new adventures will they come across in the home city of the Elemental Heroes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Superhero

“ _Whoa_ ,” Nina said, gaping.  “And the Obelisk kids were making _fun_ of us.  They’d be so fucking jealous!!”

Saki couldn’t help but gape, too.  Just a few moments ago, they had been on the last day of their field trip.  Each dorm had a different thing on their agenda, and for privacy purposes, Osiris’s task was labeled as ‘remedial class.’  Just a few moments ago, the Obelisk students had been laughing at them; they got to go to see the old Battle City blimp, and lame old Osiris had remedial classes!

“This is much better than a stinky old blimp!!” Nina said.

In front of them, where moments ago there had been the city of Domino City, there was instead a massive new city of futuristic proportions.

Everything looked almost a little too perfect to be real: the proportions were just right, the angles and corners were all perfectly cut out.  Massive buildings in odd shapes, like one in a large T and another that looked like an H, spread across the city scape.  But more than that, this was clearly not a normal human city.  Vines snaked up one building so thickly that they might have been what the building was made off, with massive yellow flowers hanging off of them.  The streets appeared to be made of shards of glass in colorful mosaics, which lit up with messages across the ground.  Instead of TV monitors, 3D holograms of a newscast were projected at various points around the square.  A beautiful fountain sat in the very middle, surrounded with a hedge of flowers that Saki had never seen before.  At the top of the fountain, the statue on top seemed to be made of quicksilver, and it would change shape every few moments, like metal melting and reforming.  First it was a dragon, then it was a tall person with their hands on their hips, then it was a city scape.  The water was so blue that it looked dyed.

Vehicles soared through the sky as well as on the ground, flying cars and pods darting around.  That wasn’t the only thing flying, either.  Saki saw a man with red wings darting through the air, and a pair of dragons dove off of a building.  Along the ground, even more colorful creatures and beings walked quickly up and down the sidewalks: everything from human like elves, to less human like creatures like actual giant blue insects scurrying down the road.

Yuki-sensei clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention back to him.

“All right,” he said, grinning.  “I know a lot of you are really curious about what’s going on.  Anyone know where we are?”

“The spirit world!” Nina shouted.

“Right,” Yuki-sensei said.  “Specifically, we’re in Skyscraper; one of the biggest cities in the spirit world.”

“Skyscraper is home to more than one hero guild,” Andersen-sensei explained.  “So it’s also one of the safest places in the spirit world.  We thought this would be a good opportunity to give you guys the chance to really see the spirit world, after we’ve been talking about it for so long.”

“You said you can walk through dimensions, right?” Saki whispered to Miu.  “How did we get here, then?”

“Miu thinks Yuki-sensei is a dimension walker too,” Miu whispered back.  “Stronger than Miu.  He could bring everyone with him.”

“We have a few hours for you guys to have a look around,” Andersen-sensei said.  “But for safety purposes, we’re pairing off all of you, first-years with older students.  Please be respectful while you’re out there; most spirits here are familiar with humans, but that’s no reason to be rude.”

He took out his clipboard to start reading off pairs.

“We might be able to take this time to start seeing what clues we can find about Saya’s sister,” she whispered to Miu.

Miu nodded.  She whispered to the next person, Hanako, and Hanako nodded too.

“Taro-kun thinks he knows which of the dimensions she ended up in, so we just need to find out as much about that place as we can,” Hanako whispered back.  “I think my oracle powers might be stronger here, too, so I can divine more about her location.”

“Awesome,” Saki said.  “So whoever ends up with Saya has to make sure we don’t let her know what we’re doing.”

“Yamaguchi-san, you’ll be with Saya-chan,” Andersen-sensei called out just as Saki finished talking.

“Oh,” Saki said, blinking.

“Sacchaaaan!” Saya cried, throwing her arms around Saki in a tackle hug.  “We’re going to have so much fun!!”

 _Guess that’s my job, then,_ Saki thought.

*    *    *

Saya slurped up her noodles with a vigorous excitement, flicking her nose with the broth.

“Good, right?” she said, grinning.

“Yeah,” Saki said with some surprise.

She had been a little surprised when Saya decided that first lunch was in order, and brought them to what looked to be a very ordinary Western style café, like something out of the Western 20s.  She had been even more surprised when they were served bright green udon that sort of glowed a little bit, and had some…unidentifiable toppings.  Saya assured her that everything was edible by humans, and in the end, it tasted actually really delicious.

“So I’ve been here a few times already for field trips and stuff,” Saya said.  “I know all the coolest places to look.  What do you want to see first?  There’s a cool museum about the history of the spirit world, there’s the tallest building in the city which is taller than anything we have on earth and has a GREAT view, there’s a really great haunted house.”

“We can skip the haunted house,” Saki said quickly.  She didn’t want to know what kind of horrors that spirit creatures could put together.  “Um…it all sounds pretty interesting.  What was Yuki-sensei saying about hero guilds?  What does that mean?”

Saya’s eyes lit up.  She sucked down the last of her noodles and broth and slammed the bowl on the table with a sigh of contentment.

“Okay so like, the government in Skyscraper is pretty different,” she said.  “This city is basically its own country—and bigger than any of our cities back home, too.  It’s safe, though, because of the five hero guilds.”

She counted on her fingers.

“In the northern quadrant, there’s the Elemental Guild.  In the South, there’s the Destiny Guild.  Then in the East there’s Masked Guild, and in the West there’s the Vision Guild.”

“What are they, exactly?” Saki asked.

“They’re what they say they are: guilds.  Basically, anyone in the hero business can go through some exams and training, and then get certification.  Lower level members take on a lot of odd-jobs, like escorts out of the city to other areas.  Higher level members are usually on permanent patrol areas, keeping different parts of the city safe—the citizens of the city get to decide who they want in their district, too, like an election.”

She pointed out the window, and Saki looked along the gesture.  Across the street from them, standing at attention was a heavy set man in blue armor, with what looked like a glorified water gun on his back.

“We’re in Bubbleman’s territory right now,” Saya said.  “You go down the street from here, and you’ll be in Avian’s jurisdiction.”

“So…the heroes govern the city, too?”

“That’s the cool part,” Saya said, grinning.  “All of the heroes have the ability to fuse.”

“Like…like with Polymerization?” Saki said, eyes widening.

“Yup!” Saya said.  “When things need to get decided for certain areas, the heroes in each area will fuse with each other.  That way, both of them are for sure getting an equal say.  And single heroes don’t get to make decisions on policy; only fusions can.  So that way, when the fusion isn’t around, no one can make rash judgements.”

“So what if the whole city needs to do some kind of governing thing?”

“Each guild has three to four highest ranking members, and all of them fuse together, and then the four fusions from each guild will get to get together and talk council things,” Saya said.

Saki sat back in her chair, awed. So that was how things were done in the spirit world?

“Hang on,” she said.  “You said there were five guilds.  Which one is the fifth?”

Saya grinned.

“Wanna see?”

*    *    *

The center of the city was completely open.  A large circular space took up the middle of the city, buildings set to circle around the cobbled circle.  Along parts of the circle were rounded flower beds and benches.  Beautiful flowering trees were dotted around the square, and Saki saw families of spirits with picnic blankets, or running around playing strange looking games.  In the very center, there was a single column.  On top of the column, a silver diamond floated, spinning lazily. 

“What is this?” Saki asked, walking around the column.  There was writing all over the column, but not in a language she understood.

“This,” Saya said, “is the Beacon.”

She patted the silver column.

“It’s a communication system that connects Skyscraper to the fifth guild,” she said.  “Which is actually in a dimension layered over the top of this one.”

“No way,” Saki said, eyes widening.

“Yes way,” Saya said with a laugh. “The dimension is called Neo Space, and the heroes there are called Neo-Spacians.  Just between you and me, Yuki-sensei is pretty tight with them—even more than he is with the hero guilds here.”

“I didn’t know he was ‘tight’ with any of the guilds,” Saki said, looking up at the new information.

“For sure!  Yuki-sensei is a Hero duelist.  He uses both Elemental Heroes and Neo-Spacians.”

“Whoa.”

Saki took another walk around the pole, staring at it.  She looked up into the sky where the diamond seemed to point.

“This place is super cool at night,” Saya said, looking up into the sky.  Even with all the city lights, you can see the stars as clear as glass.  And you can even see the ripple of colors where the portal to Neo-Space is, waaaay up in the sky.”

Saki stared up where Saya pointed, but she saw nothing.  Her skin thrummed with anticipation, although, anticipation for what, she wasn’t sure.

“Hey, my favorite ice cream cart is here today,” Saya said, eyes lighting up.  “Why don’t you take a seat, I’ll get us some!!”

“O-oh, thank you,” Saki said.

She didn’t really have time to say it, though, because Saya was already rocketing off.  Saki waited awkwardly by the column for a few moments, but she felt like she was super in the open for all of the spirits to look at her—she had already been getting curious looks all day.  Familiar with humans the spirits might be, but it was clear that they weren’t a common sight.  She scurried away from the pole towards the nearest bench, under a tangled copes of flowering trees, and sat down.

 _It’s so similar to our world, but just different enough that it’s eerie_ , she thought.  _Benches are the same…trees look mostly the same._

Well, most trees didn’t suddenly grow big purple fruit right in front of her eyes, but it still looked like a tree.  She poked the fruit experimentally, but decided that, despite seeing some of the spirits pull them off of other trees and eat them, that she didn’t want to try it herself.

A cold suddenly fell over her back, and she shivered in spite of herself.  Did the temperature just drop?  The shadows of the trees grew a little longer, until they were completely falling over her and her bench.  That was weird.  Maybe the sun moved differently in the spirit world.

She flinched, then, when she felt cold fingers on the back of her neck, her mouth immediately going dry and all sound in her throat going silent.  All at once, everything around her vanished, and she didn’t know where she was.  What had happened to the square and the trees?  What was going on?

She heard a faint hiss, and those cold fingers gripped the back of her neck lightly.  She felt cold breath ghost over the back of her head.

 _“I smell magic,”_ the voice whispered.  _“Give it to me…give it to me…_ ”

Saki couldn’t breathe.  Angel.  Where was Angel?  H-He was still out searching for clues about Saya’s sister.  Saki couldn’t move, she was frozen as the cold fingers gripped her a little tighter.

 _Help_ , she thought desperately.  _Help!_

And then warm darkness washed over her, and the fingers released her with a hiss.  She felt like she was falling all of a sudden—the bench beneath her was gone, and she was screaming, wheeling her arms as she fell into the darkness—

She fell lightly into a strong, gentle grip, landing so lightly it was as though she had been floating down instead of falling.

_Are you all right?_

The voice echoed in her head without any sound, and she blinked.

The nothingness was gone.  

Now, instead, she was floating among a rippling aurora.  It was like being inside a giant bubble; the way that light would play rainbows off the surface of the soap, only it was thick enough that you couldn’t see through it like you could a bubble.  The colors swirled lazily around her, little sparks of stars dancing among them.

She looked up at her rescuer.  It was a tall, broad sort of creature, human in shape but not in appearance.  It had no mouth, only a flat white face and glowing green eyes; a dark blue edged ridge grew from the back its head like a dinosaur.  It was a pure white color, save for the red markings, and the big blue gem that rested right in the middle of its chest.

“Um…I think I’m okay,” she said.  “T-thank you…did you save me?”

The being nodded.

“What…what happened?”

 _A spirit gone mad,_ the voice appeared in her mind as though it were her own thoughts, but they weren’t hers—it must be the being before her speaking to her.  _There are imbalances in this world.  Some spirits do not react well. They seek other means of righting their imbalance._

“It…it said it wanted my magic…?”

 _Human soul power is very strong,_ the being said.  _It is why we form such close bonds with humans. An imbalanced spirit cannot access the power of their human bond, and so it seeks other humans to satiate it._

Saki shivered.  That sounded awful.

“Will it come back?”

_No.  We have removed it to a safe place for treatment.  Mad spirits do not usually come this far.  You will be safe in the city._

“Thank you,” she said.  “I owe you one.’

She thought she heard, or maybe felt, the rumble of a chuckle.

_You don’t.  Judai would be most displeased if I allowed his students to be hurt.  Speaking of which, I should get you back.  Close your eyes—this is disorienting for humans._

Saki decided it was best to do as she was told.  When she opened her eyes again, she was being let down to  her feet, standing in front of the bench again.

“Ack!! There you are!”

Saya came rushing over to them, two bright blue ice creams with black, green-glitter coated cones in each hand.  She skidded to a stop, glancing up at Saki’s rescuer.

“Neos??” she said.  “What are you doing here?  Oh fuck, did something happen?  Sacchan, are you all right?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Saki said.

 _You needn’t worry.  I’m watching over the city_ , the being called Neo said.  _Take care now, both of you._

It bowed, and then disappeared in a puff of rainbow swirls.  Saya stared at the space where it had been for a long moment.  Then she swung her face towards Saki, eyes wide.

“That was Neos,” she said.  “They’re the leader of the Neo-Spacian Guild—basically the leader of the whole city!”

“W-whoa, really?”

“I’ve only met them once!!” Saya said. “You’re lucky, Sacchan—or maybe not, I still don’t know what happened.  Are you okay?  Would ice cream help?  It’s not melted yet.”

Saki felt a little dizzy, but actually, food sounded great.  She accepted the strange ice cream cone.

“Let’s just say it’s been an adventure today,” she said.  “Just like usual.”


	25. A Timely Visit – Marufuji Shou’s Second Appearance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shou appears once again to visit Judai. They have a lot to catch up on!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Happy birthday, Shou!

“You look like hell.”

“Hello to you too,” Judai said, chuckling as he gripped Shou’s hand.  “And sorry; I haven’t had a chance to clean up since I got back from Dark World.”

Shou’s smile faded just a little bit, but it was back in a moment.  Judai let him through the door, and his friend took his shoes off at the step.

“Sorry,” he said again.  “The room isn’t the cleanest, either.  I was going to be ready for you to visit but…”

“It’s fine, Judai, I’m just glad I get to see you,” Shou said with a laugh.  He clapped his friend’s shoulder lightly and squeezed.  Judai glanced up and down him briefly—Shou was only a few inches shy of Judai’s height now, though he appeared to have stopped growing.

“That jacket still doesn’t look like you,” Judai said, grinning at the black jacket with all the straps.

“Ugh, like everyone tells me,” Shou said, rolling his eyes.  “I’m trying to find something new.  Maybe you could help me.”

“Shou, I’m currently in a jacket I’ve worn since I was fifteen.  It’s a miracle I’m wearing pants right now.  I don’t think you should be asking my help for fashion.”

They both laughed, and then Judai shuffled into the room, tossing some of the things on the floor out of the way.  He fumbled a moment with the stove to get the kettle started for tea.

“Sorry again about the mess,” he said.  “Like I said…haven’t had much time.”

“Trip to the spirit world went over again?”

Judai nodded.  He twisted the kettle around so that the steam wouldn’t ruin the wood on the cabinets, then came back to the table.  Shou sat down across from him, struggling briefly to get out of the jacket and fling it on the floor beside him.  He immediately flopped down on the table face first.

“Looks like we’re both tired,” Judai said, grinning.

“It’s called being an adult, or so Ryo always tells me,” Shou said.  “You just reach a point where tired is a part of your personality traits.”

Judai laughed.

“Sounds like something he would say.  I swear, your brother is actually fifty years old.  How’s he doing, by the way?”

Shou lifted up from the table, resting his elbows on it and his head on his hands.

“Much better,” he said.  “I think the new medication is working.  Still no strenuous duels for him, so he can only do exhibition matches for the league, but I think he’s happy.”

“His deck giving you any trouble?”

“Nope, not since you helped me talk things out with the spirits.”

Judai nodded.  The kettle had begun to whistle, so he got up, found two mismatched mugs, and dropped the tea bags in, pouring water over it.  He came back and slid one across the table to Shou.

“How about you?  How are you managing you know, both of your things?” Shou said.  “Working here and in the spirit world can’t be easy.”

“Well, here, I only need to be around for one or two classes, and the spirit world isn’t helpless; they just call me over when they need me,” Judai said.  He blew on his tea, letting the steam waft over his face.  “And it is nice having a room to come back to.”

“I’d bet,” Shou said, taking a teasing tone.  “No more sleeping under bridges and getting colds, despite being only a few miles away from my place, right?”

“That was _one time,_ ” Judai protested.  “And I didn’t know how close you were!”

Shou just giggled, and Judai couldn’t help but grin too.  Man, this reminded him of the old days.  Just hanging out in his room with his roommate again like they did in high school.  Nothing crazy hanging over their heads for once, no world-threatening powers knocking at the door, just…hanging out.

“How are the kids, by the way?” Shou said.  “I met one of them, at Kaiba Corp.”

“Right, you told me about that,” Judai said.  “I think they’re all doing all right.  I’m pretty proud of them, to be honest.  Most of them have their lives together better than I do now.”

That got another laugh out of Shou.

“Well, it helps that they have an actual support system,” Shou said.  “Instead of what Osiris used to be.  You and Johan are doing really good out here.”

Judai felt a faint warmth spread over his cheeks, and he smiled.

“Coming from you, that means a lot,” he said.  “Thanks.”

Shou just smiled and took a sip of his tea.  He hmmed then.

“You do know that…I mean, I told you that I saw one of your students in the virtual reality at Kaiba Corp, which means she wasn’t where she was supposed to be in the tour group.  Do you have any idea why?”

Judai glanced towards the door, checking with Yubel’s eyes to make sure none of the students were nearby.  He checked the window, and overhead even, but it seemed that everyone was at class.  No one listening in.

“I have an idea,” he said, cupping his mug.  “You know why I’ve been back and forth to Dark World, right?”

Shou nodded.

“The last missing student from Duel Academy…you think she might be there.”

“Or at least…a clue of what happened to her,” Judai said, looking down into the dark of his tea.  His heart clenched as he thought about it, but…well it had been years.  And if Saya was to be believed from her dreams…her sister had been there when Judai was the Supreme King.

She might not even be alive.

“It’s my fault.  I need to fix it.”

“It’s not your fault that she ended up in another dimension,” Shou said.  “You weren’t even in school yet when she disappeared.”

Judai shook his head.

“If she was there during my time as the Supreme King, I might have…Saya-chan deserves closure.  She puts on a brave face, but I know she’s hurting. She deserves that much.”

He took another long sip from his mug.

“Anyway.  Your question.  I think the kids are trying to find her, too.”

Shou blinked, lips parting.

“You mean…they know?”

“Saya-chan doesn’t really keep it to herself,” Judai said, shrugging. “I think they think…they can combine their powers to find her.”

“And you’re not going to stop them?” Shou said, raising an eyebrow.

Judai snorted.

“Think about it, Shou. You think our teachers could have stopped our group from doing anything back when we were in school?”

“Point taken,” said Shou.  “But still…they’re just kids.”

Judai nodded.  He swirled his tea around in its mug.

“But they’re idealistic,” he murmured. “And they’re tougher than you know.  Maybe if they work together, they’ll be able to do what I haven’t been able to.  See something that I missed.

He rubbed his nose with the back of his hand.

“Are you going to tell them that you know what they’re up to?” Shou said.

“Nah.  They seem to be having fun trying to distract me and Johan from it.  And if they know we know, they might try to get even sneakier, so I think it’s better to just keep an eye on things for now.  If something goes wrong…well, that’s what we’re here for.”

He looked up to find that Shou was smiling at him.  He blinked.

“What?” he said.

“Nothing,” Shou said.  “I was just thinking…we really have grown up, haven’t we?”

Judai leaned back on his hands.  Over his head, he heard the sudden thump thump thump of someone running up the stairs and then down the balcony to their room, slamming the door open.  He heard a loud voice, but couldn’t hear the words that went with it, with a quieter voice clearly trying to get the other one to keep it down.  He grinned.

“Yeah,” he said.  “Somehow, we did, didn’t we?”


	26. The Seven Wonders of Duel Academia!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saya loves to share ghost stories about Duel Academia, but Taro might know more about the sixth mystery than she does. What dangerous things are living in Duel Academia, right under their noses?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: The Seven Wonders of Duel Academia

“The seven wonders of Duel Academia?” Nina said, bouncing on the edge of the bed.

Saki rolled her eyes.

“Nina, every school has one of those ghost stories.  They’re not real.”

“Oooor aaareee theyyyyy,” Saya said, turning on the flashlight under her face and wiggling the fingers of her free hand.

It was the early stages of winter, and outside, it was getting cold.  Inside Saya’s dorm room, however, it was warm and toasty.  Saki sat perched on one of the two desk chairs, while Nina and Minato were both on the bed.  Miu was curled up under a blanket beside Saya on the floor.  Taro was the other attendee tonight, sitting on the other chair and bouncing his legs up and down.  Saito wasn’t in tonight, for which Saki was kind of glad.  Saya’s ghost stories plus Saito’s insistence on turning everything into a game with ghosts was a bad combination.

“Oh please, even my middle school had a seven wonders story,” Minato said, rolling their eyes.  “Only there were only six.  And the seventh mystery was that there were only six.”

Saki snorted in spite of herself.  Saya laughed.

“Funny story, we only have six, too,” she said, putting her flashlight down.  “Although Saito-chan is absolutely determined to be responsible for creating the seventh.”

Saya lowered her voice.

“Considering the fact that I’m pretty sure we have three permanent demons haunting this dorm because of her, she might have succeeded already.”

Saki laughed, but it was less genuine this time.  She sent a nervous glance at Saito’s half of the room, the walls of which were covered in what appeared to be pentagrams drawn in red marker. At least she hoped it was red marker.

“Anyway, come on and humor your senpai, lemme tell the story since we’re hanging out,” she said.  “The first mystery is, of course, the old honors dorm.  Legends say that you can hear voices down in the basement, the echoes of students long gone.”

Saki’s initial humor at the situation faded slightly.  Saya’s sister had vanished from there…Saki didn’t know how Saya could joke about it so easily.

“The second mystery!” Saya said, holding up two fingers. “In the Obelisk Dorm common room, there is a doll.  At night, if you whisper her name three times, she’ll come to life and duel you for your soul.”

“Oh, I met her,” Taro said suddenly.  “Her name is Alice, and she’s actually really nice!  We played tic tac toe.”

“The third mystery!!” Saya said, pushing ahead as though there had been no interruption.  “There is a well on the other side of campus, where long ago, students tossed old cards for their low attacks…those monsters in their anger all fused together into an abomination that will drag students into the well if they get too close, and the students will become one with the creature.”

“Actually, that didn’t happen, and the well is empty now,” Nina said.  “Manjoume Thunder told me he got all the cards out and they follow him around now.  And Yuki-sensei said they covered it up so that no one can toss cards anymore.”

“The fourth one!!” Saya said, clearly determined to get through all of her ghost stories.  “The stairway in the back hall of the main campus building has more steps going up than going down.”

“Why is that scary?” Minato said, frowning.

“Legends say that part of the school never fully returned from the other dimension…and if you stand for too long on the fourth step going up, once you reach the top of the stairs, you’ll be in an alternate universe.”

Saki glanced at Miu, wondering if it was really that easy to get into another dimension.  Miu just yawned.

“The fifth mystery!” Saya said.  “There is a ghost of an old alchemist that haunts the old, original Osiris Red building.”

“Isn’t that just Daitokuji-san?” Saki pointed out.

“Aaaand the sixth mystery!” Saya said, holding up her hand and one thumb on the other hand.  “Buried deep beneath the school, there are three enormously powerful cards…if you can find the chamber where they’re hidden, and get too close…you might be driven mad.”

That one, Saki didn’t have an explanation for.  Why would they bury cards under a school?  That didn’t make any sense.

Taro, however, leaned forward, his eyes lighting up.

“You mean the Three Phantasms!” he said excitedly.

“The Three Phantasms?” Saki said, blinking.

Taro nodded.

“They’re an ancient legend in the spirit world,” he said.

“Oooh,” Saya said, eyes lighting up.  She leaned forward, elbows on her knees so she could keep the flashlight under her chin.  “You gonna share?? I could use some new stories.”

“Sure!!” Taro said. He kicked his legs and thought a moment.  “Okay, so I’m not the best story-teller, but we all learn this story in the spirit world.  Once upon a time, after the creation of the world, the god of chaos and destruction got mad.  He didn’t like humans, or anything.  So he decided to create something.”

Taro tapped his finger to his lips.

“Well, gods of destruction aren’t supposed to make things. The two creatures he made went mad.  The second one was called Armityle, the Aberration.”

Saki found herself sucked into the story. She hadn’t known much about the spirit world—part of her wasn’t sure if this was real, like, creation stories usually weren’t right?  The world was made because of the big bang and stuff.  But she leaned forward and listened anyway.

  “Armityle warped the light, and its sibling warped the darkness.  The two of them and the god of destruction started a war against the other gods and humanity.  The god of destruction was defeated by the power of the gods giving their energy to a human, but Armityle and the other demon disappeared into hiding.”

Taro folded his legs underneath him.

“Armityle returned centuries later, to try to finish what was started all by itself.  But the goddess of light and law, originally the god of destruction’s sister, faced off with it, and struck it down.  In the battle, the goddess and Armityle were both split into three pieces.  Armityle became the Three Phantasms, which were sealed away by the three pieces of the goddess.”

Taro grinned widely then.

“And you know who the three pieces of the goddess were?” he said.

“Who?” Minato said, looking really interested in spite of themselves.

“Obelisk, Ra, and Osiris,” Taro said, pleased with himself.  “That’s why it’s so cool that the Three Phantasms are under Duel Academia, you know?  The dorms are Obelisk, Ra, and Osiris—the gods are sealing away the demons below them!”

He smiled proudly, his tail wagging.

“What do you think?  Good story?” he said.

“That was awesome,” Saya said, awed.  “I’m gonna have to get you to tell me more spirit world legends.”

Taro puffed up his chest, tail wagging faster.

“Part of the reason I came to Duel Academia was because of the names of the dorms,” he said.  “I thought maybe it was a clue.  Or a special sort of seal—the way the dorms are set up kind of match a three point devil seal!”

“Were you _looking_ for the Phantasms?” Saki said, surprised.

“Well, I kinda wanted to see them, at least,” Taro said. “How cool would it be, you know?  A legend come to life!!”

He grinned, but then his tail stopped wagging.

“I’d, uh, keep my distance though.  No need to wake up old demons, right?”

“Right,” Nina said, looking actually somber for once.  “No need to do that.”

“Would be cool to see where they are, though, I agree,” Saya said thoughtfully.  “Doubt it’s easy to go below.”

“I’ve looked around, but I think they might have blocked off all the entrances,” Taro said.  “Not that I blame them.”

“Still seems weird to put a school on top of something so dangerous,” Minato said.  “Whose idea was that?”

“Maybe they’re not really here at all,” Saki pointed out.  “Could just be another legend.”

“That’s true.”

For a moment, they all sat in a brief silence. Then Saya clapped her hands.

“Well, it’s getting late.  I should probably get you kids back to your dorm; you guys have more midterms coming up!”

“Uuuugh, Saya-senpai, why would you remind me,” Nina moaned.

Saya laughed.

“Hang in there, Nina-chan!”

Miu reluctantly unwrapped from her blanket as the group headed for the door.  Saya walked with them down the stairs and to the doorway.  As soon as it was open, they were all blasted with icy air, the sound of wind howling outside.  Saya hesitated, looking out into the darkening evening.

“I should probably walk with you guys,” she said.  “It’s really, really getting ready to storm out there.”

She frowned.

“Or…maybe you guys should even just stay over.  I don’t like the look of things.”

“It’s not far to our dorm,” Minato said.  “It’s okay, Saya-senpai, we’ll make it.”

Saki felt a thwump on her shoulder, then, and jumped.  She looked to see Angel scrambling up, pushing his little face against her cheek and chittering.  He was back already?  He had just gone out again to look for more clues about Saya’s sister.

“What’s wrong, Angel?” she said.

Overhead, thunder boomed suddenly.  Saya flinched, Nina squeaked, even Minato tensed.

“Thunder at this time of year?” Saya said.  “No, for real, I think you guys should just stay over—”

Lightning crashed down just inches from the door, and Nina screamed.  The light glared over Saki’s eyes, briefly blinding her, and she almost screamed, too.  She grabbed hold of angel as another flash exploded over her vision, and then suddenly—

Everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh hey look, plot!


	27. Curse of the Phantasms – Where Are We?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having found themselves lost in another dimension, Saki and her friends try desperately to call for help, while Judai races to find them--before something else does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: moment that made you cry

Judai startled awake. Damn...what time was it...he didn't remember falling asleep...

A harsh, insistent knock rang out again over his room—that was what had woken him up. He stumbled off his futon, swearing as his foot smacked into his table. The knocking didn't stop—damn, what _was_ it?? And why was it so dark in here? There was no light coming in through the window, and besides the knocking, all he could hear was the whining howl of the wind outside.

He managed to make it to the door and forced it open with a grunt. The wind caught it immediately and almost smacked him in the face with it, and he swore.

Miu stood on his threshold, clutching at her head as the wind whipped past her, so strong that it seemed it would pick up someone as small as her without even trying. He automatically grabbed for her, pulling her free of the wind into his room. Shit, what kind of storm were they in for?

“What is it? What's wrong?” Judai said. “Miu-chan, you should know it's a bad storm tonight, you should be in your room!”

Miu was red-faced, whether from the chill from the icy wind or from running or from something else, he couldn't tell. For a moment, she couldn't speak, just sitting there, trembling and gasping for breath. Now that Judai's eyes were adjusting to being awake, he could see that something wasn't right—Miu's face was streaked with dirt, her hair matted with black dust. Her jacket looked a bit torn up, and her skirt was tattered on the edges.

“Are you okay?” he said, dropping down to her eye level. “Breathe, Miu-chan, breathe. Let me know what happened.”

Miu gasped for breath.

“Miu couldn't—couldn't bring them back with Miu,” she gasped. “Miu managed to come back, but Miu couldn't bring them back too, they're stuck—”

“Who's stuck? What happened?”

Judai brushed some of the dust out of her hair. This...this looked more like soot than dust...not any dirt around Duel Academia... Miu swallowed and tried to get a hold of herself.

“W-we fell,” she mumbled. “Miu doesn't know how. We fell through dimensions, a-and the others aren't responding, Miu ran back as fast as Miu could—”

Judai's blood ran cold. No, he knew this dust, this soot-like dirt—this was...this was from Dark World, wasn't it? No, impossible, the kids couldn't have just _fallen_ through to Dark World, it wasn't even the closest dimension to theirs. But there was no mistaking it, and the way that Miu was crying—he knew that she was a Dimension Walker, so she conceivably could have made it back. Not skilled enough to bring the others with her, but enough to come and get him.

“You did great, Miu, you did amazing,” Judai said, hugging her tightly. “It's going to be okay, I'm going to get them back, all right?”

“Take Miu with you,” she said, her face screwing up with stubbornness, as though she were ready for him to say no. “Miu knows where they are, take Miu with you.”

Judai _was_ in fact about to say no, but he saw the look on her face. If he told her no, she'd go back on her own. It was what he would have done at her age. And then she could get lost and he'd have to look for her, too.

“Okay,” he said, squeezing her shoulders. “We're going to get Johan and we're going to go get them back, okay?”

Miu nodded, tears in her determined eyes.

Judai hoped to god that he wasn't lying to her.

* * *

The nightmare played over and over again.

She saw fires blooming over blackness, heard screams echoing from the barren black plains. The clink of metal as armored soldiers marched beat against her eardrums. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. It was as though she were nothing more than a floating pair of eyes, helpless as she watched the darkness flare with yet more flames.

She averted her eyes from the blood as much as she could, but it was hard when she had no way of looking away.

If she had been able to feel any part of her body, she thought she probably would have been crying. This was awful. This was absolutely _horrible_. Why were they all doing this?

And overlooking it all, a man in dark armor stood, staring down at everything with glowing golden eyes. She didn't know why, but she felt so afraid when she looked at him. It made her feel like screaming.

It made her feel like crying, too, though she couldn't have told anyone why.

The nightmare began in the dark depths of a cavernous chamber. Everything was shadows, everything was black, save for the faint light that came in through the balcony opening. The man in the black armor stood there, waiting. For what?

She would hear boots on the stairs, the heavy breaths of someone who had been running for a long time. She would see him crest the top of the stairs, his dark hair matted with sweat against his dark skin, fist glowing with red between his fingers as he opened his hand to reveal the glowing red marble there.

“I'm here to get you back,” he'd say.

The man in the dark armor wouldn't even respond. He'd just stare that cold, blank stare.

And then it would start over again—the fires, the screams, the blood, the man running up the stairs to face the one who had started it all. She could only cry. Or at least, imagine that she was crying. When was it going to stop? How was she going to get out of this...

A cold hand gripped hers, and she felt something cold press against her collarbone.

“Saki,” a voice cracked past her ears.

The nightmare dissipated. Saki gasped for breath as her ears popped. For a moment, she couldn't see anything, couldn't breathe. And then she fell—arms wrapped around her, holding her steady.

“Hey, it's okay. You're awake now.”

Saki blinked through her blurry eyes, thick with tears.

“S-Saya...senpai?” she muttered.

“Shh, it's okay. You're okay.”

Saki blinked her eyes clear, and peered over Saya's shoulder.

The world hadn't changed from that black, barren wasteland in her nightmare. They were standing on some kind of cliff, overlooking a vast, dark landscape, full of craggy rocks and broken, burnt out structures. Massive rocks jutted out around her and Saya, like leaning pillars.

“W-where are we?” Saki said. “What happened?”

“We're in another dimension, and I don't know,” Saya said, her voice tight.

She released Saki and held her at arm's length, looking her up and down.

“How are you feeling?” she said.

“Dizzy,” Saki said. “What was happening to me?”

“We were locked in some kind of illusion,” Saya said. “Some kind of nightmare spell. Luckily, I had some charms on me—this is the kind of thing that we learn how to defend ourselves from in third-year.”

She tapped just above Saki's collarbone, and Saki glanced down. There was something pressed against her skin as though glued there, a sort of thin, swirly design made of silver, and set with little green stones.

“What is it?”

Saya winked.

“I'm an alchemist class, remember? I can forge magic items. I had some of these here already—they're spell disruptors, so we won't be falling into anymore of that same kind of spell.”

She gripped Saki's hand in a tight hold, and looked around. She was smiling, but her face looked pale, and Saki had a feeling she was just trying to look tough and brave for Saki.

“I can't find the others yet, but I'm sure they must be close—we all fell through together,” Saya said.

“W-why?” Saki said. “Why did we fall between worlds?”

Saya bit her lip.

“I...I don't know,” she said. “I think...something must have...brought us here.”

“Something?”

A large crack sounded over head, like the clap of thunder, and Saki screamed. Saya automatically hugged Saki as tightly as she could, pressing her hand against the back of Saki's head.

“Who's there?” Saya shouted. “I'm warning you, you'd better not try anything funny, you bastards!”

Nothing responded. They stood perfectly still for a few more moments, both of them trembling.

“N-nothing to worry about,” Saya said, trying to sound tough. “Just a...rogue thunderclap.”

Saki swallowed. She could really use Angel here right about now....

As though she had summoned him, there was suddenly a nip at her ankle, and she yelped. She looked down to see a very solid Angel at her feet, hissing at her.

“Angel!! Oh thank goodness,” Saki said. She dropped to her knees and Angel leaped into her arms, snuggling briefly against her neck. Then he nipped at her chin and hissed, his tail flipping. “What's wrong?”

Angel scrambled in her arms, getting onto her shoulder and then leaping down. He looked at her and Saya, and then scampered towards the other side of the rock formations.

“I think he wants us to follow him,” Saya said.

“Maybe he knows where the others are!”

Angel scampered around the rocks, and Saki scrambled to her feet. She and Saya ran after the disappearing tail, rounding the boulders.

On the other side, there was a thin trail in the rock face, leading down from their cliff and into a dark cavern. Angel was making his way down it already, tail swishing back and forth.

“I'll go first,” Saya said. “Careful.”

She started down the path, having to walk slightly sideways to fit. Saki bit her lip, swallowed, and followed.

The world got darker and darker as they went deeper into the cavern. It was all Saki could do to see where her feet were going.

Saya swore, and Saki squeaked at the sound of feet ahead of them, scrabbling on the rocks.

“It's me! It's just me!!”

Taro's voice called through the dark. Saki felt her insides unfurl and she gasped for breath. Oh geez...

“Taro, thank god,” Saya said. “Where are the others?”

“I don't know where Miu is, but Nina and Minato are down below, they're...they're weird, they won't wake up.”

Taro sounded scared, his voice rumbly and nervous.

“They must be in the same nightmare that Saki and I were in,” Saya said. “Taro, can you see in the dark?”

“I'm a dog,” Taro said as an answer.

“Okay, I'm gonna need you to lead us the rest of the way—how close is the bottom?”

“Not far, just follow my voice. The path gets a little wider, but be careful!”

Saya's hand found Saki's and Saki clung to it. She followed down the rest of the way, trembling until her feet found solid ground. Now that they were at the bottom, she was sort of starting to adjust to the light. It was really dark down here, far away from the already dark and cloudy sky, but she could make out the shape of Taro, with his fluffy ears. Taro took Saya's hand, and in a chain, he led them off the path and onto the canyon floor. The ground was uneven and rocky, and Saki kept slipping.

Finally, they found Nina and Minato. Saya released both Taro and Saki, hurrying forward.

Nina and Minato were both standing, but they weren't moving. Saki squinted through the dark, and saw that their eyes were closed. They were just...standing there, like statues. Saya dug in her pocket.

“Just enough,” she said. “Thank god.”

She pressed two similar silver pieces to Nina and Minato's chests, like the one that Saki had on her right now. After a few beats, both of them stirred. Nina fell over first, and Saya caught her. Saki grabbed Minato before they could topple over. They collapsed heavily into her arms, gasping for breath, eyes wide and face pale.

“W-what happened?” they said.

“Someone's bad idea of a joke,” Saya said. “You kids okay?”

“I-I think so,” Nina said, her voice trembling.

Saya swallowed, looking up towards the top of the cliff. Saki could feel Angel curling around her feet, hissing softly. Where was Miu, though...?

“We're still missing Miu,” Saya said. “And I'm not sure where we are.”

“I...I know,” Taro said, hesitantly.

They all looked at him. He was shifting from foot to foot, not looking at any of them, his tail wagging very slowly in an agitated sort of way, ears pressed to the back of his head.

“This is Dark World,” he said.

“Creative,” Saya said.

Taro shuddered deeply, hugging himself.

“This is where I died as a spirit,” he said, his voice hitching. “There are terrible things here. Very terrible things.”

Saki felt her blood go cold, and Minato's fingers dug into her jacket sleeves. Saya reached out to Taro, taking him by the arm and tugging her against him along with Nina.

“It's going to be okay,” she said sternly. “We're all together, and we're going to be okay. We'll get through this.”

Saya bit her lip, looking around.

“Okay, guys. Here's what we need to do. First, we need to find Miu. Second, we need to find some place to hole up, and put up some defenses. And then, we need to find a way to contact Yuki-sensei or someone.”

A thought sparked in Saki's head. Those dimensional communicators that Ji-U and Eun had found for them...they didn't have them with them now, but if they had a way of getting a signal to them...

No, she couldn't tell, if she told, then Saya would want to know why they had those, and they might have to tell her that they had been trying to find her sister—

Gah! There was no time for that!

“I know the twins have some dimensional communicators,” Saki said. “I don't know if we could get a signal to them, or...”

Saya didn't even ask why they would have something like that.

“That's brilliant!!” she said, eyes widening. “Okay, someone find me a rock. A good sized one, maybe about the size of your fist.”

“Like this?” Taro said, leaning down to pick up a hefty sized rock.

“Perfect!!”

Saya snatched the stone and crouched down, balancing on the balls of her feet. She held the stone between her hands, face screwing up.

“Yeah, this will work,” she said. “But I'm going to need someone's pager, or cell phone. And you probably won't get it back.”

“Take mine,” Nina said, flinging it at Saya.

“Awesome—one more thing, I'm going to need something that came from our world. Something specifically tied to our world, like, a rock, or some dirt...”

“I mean, I have a grass stain on the elbow of my jacket?” Minato said, lifting their arm.”

“Perfect! You don't mind me tearing that off your jacket, do you?”

“Fuck, if you can get us out of here, you can just have the whole thing.”

They shrugged off the jacket and handed it to Saya, who turned it over so that the grass stain was facing up. She laid the items out in front of her and examined them for a moment. Then she spread her fingers over the top of them.

“ _Sabatiel leitabas mithrin nirhtim,”_ she mumbled.

Saki felt the power as though it were rushing through her herself, like a spark of static. She gasped. For a moment, the world beneath Saya's fingers pinched and warped, and when she was done, the items that had been there before were no longer there. Instead, there was a strange, black iron contraption that looked very much like those headsets the twins had, just made out of iron-wrought designs that looked like curling vines.

Saya lifted it up and fitted it to her head. She tapped the sides of it.

“Anyone there?” she said. “This is Nishimura Saya. Can anyone hear me?”

The iron wrought contraption shimmered softly—and then a voice came through it.

“Oh thank god,” came Yuki-sensei's voice, and Saki almost cried. “I knew you'd come up with something, Saya.”

“I learned from the best,” Saya said cheerily, though she looked like she was going to fall over with relief.

“Are you guys okay? Is everyone there?”

“We're all together and safe, except for Miu...she's still missing.”

“Miu is here,” Miu's voice floated through the contraption. Saki actually did cry this time, tears rolling silently out of her eyes. Oh thank god.

“Miu managed to dimension walk back to tell me what happened,” Yuki-sensei said. “We're coming to get you, just as soon as we can. Find a safe place to wait.”

“Will do, sensei,” Saya said. “Uh...not to distract you from getting here, but it's nice to hear your voice. Any idea how we got here?”

For a few moments, Yuki-sensei didn't respond.

“I think it was the Phantasms,” he said finally. “Something went wonky with their seal, and you guys just happened to be right on top of it.”

“The Phantasms?” Taro squeaked. “Are they getting out?”

“I don't think so,” Yuki-sensei said. “But I don't think we ever accounted for what would happen if we were teaching a class of over twenty kids how to use magic right on top of them. It agitated the seal.”

He cleared his throat.

“Just stay where you are, okay? Stick close together, make sure you have your Duel Disks on you. We should be able to get to you in less time than you think. Hang in there.”

Saki shivered, and Minato grabbed her hand, squeezing it.

“We will, Yuki-sensei, we will,” Saya said. “Thank you.”

And then a deep groan sounded through the canyon. Saki felt her blood go icy again, and Nina half screamed.

“What was that?” Yuki-sensei said. “Kids? What was that?”

Saki could feel it, a pulsing, cold sensation that was building up, like she was getting ready to throw up. It was...swelling at the end of the canyon.

“Out of the canyon!” Saya roared. “Out, out, out, everyone move!!”

She shoved at Saki's back and Saki stumbled, Angel screeching as he leaped onto her shoulder. Another loud groan swelled from the end of the canyon, and like a cold wind, terror burst through Saki.

What was coming after them??

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everything about the Supreme King makes me cry ;w;


	28. Curse of the Phantasms Part Two – Saki’s Determination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a mysterious darkness envelops her and her friends, Saki finds herself face to face with an old evil--but could it really be Yuki Judai that she's up against?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month prompt: alternative ending

Saki opened her eyes.

The room was cold and dark.  The only light came from the stale gray half-light coming in through the arch, leading out into a ragged balcony.  The room looked more like a cave, with a rugged floor and walls, and structures around that looked less like pillars and more like stalactites that reached the floor.  Only a cold, iron throne sat at the far end of the darkness.

Hadn’t…hadn’t she just been in the canyon with the others?  Where was she?  What had happened, and where was everyone?

It was cold in here, and she shivered, hugging her arms.  Even her jacket wasn’t enough to stop the chill from creeping under her skin and into her bones.  She shoved her hands into her armpits and turned in a slow circle, looking any sign of anyone, or anything.  She tried to remember how she had gotten here, but her brain wasn’t quite catching up with her.

She remembered…cold.  She remembered a roar echoing down the canyon, and trying to scramble back up the path.  She remembered darkness swelling at the far end of the canyon, shadows rolling and crashing like the waves of an ocean, filling up the canyon like a river that washed through and consumed all of them before they could escape the canyon—

And then she was here…somehow

Was she in another nightmare spell?  She checked her collarbone.  Saya’s spell disruptor was still sitting there, so…it should still be working, right?  She didn’t know much about alchemy or magic items.  She hadn’t learned about that sort of thing yet.

Then she heard the soft clink of feet on the floor behind her, and she whirled.

Her blood ran icy cold.  She recognized them.  At least, she recognized the armor they were wearing.  The black almost seemed to eat away at what little light there was, so dark that it was like it was a hole in space save for the golden trimming.  The figure had the face plate pulled over their face, so she couldn’t see what they looked like, but there was no mistaking it.

That had been the armor in Yuki-sensei’s room.

For a moment, both of them only waited, silent, staring at each other.  Saki’s skin crawled.

“W-who are you?” she whispered, her voice sounding unnaturally loud in the space.

For a moment, the figure did not respond.

“I think you know who I am.”

Saki heard screams outside.  Her blood ran cold.

As though she were in a dream and wasn’t entirely in control of herself, she immediately turned and ran towards the archway, out onto the balcony.  Her heart leaped into her throat.

She wasn’t looking at the barren landscape of Dark World.  Instead, what lay before her, dull and desaturated and stripped of color and life, she saw Duel Academia.

The sky was low, black, and covered in clouds.  She could see the ruins of the main campus in the distance, white walls stained with soot, the domes half caved in.  The forest of the island was all but gone, only burnt out trunks remaining.  The mountain was on fire, sending the entire world into a faint red glow as lava poured down from the top.  The volcano was active again, she thought with a dull, distant panic.

She couldn’t see any people, but she could still hear screaming.  It was as though it were just out of her line of vision, even as she searched desperately for the source.  There were shouts, screams, yells, the sound of metal against metal, the roaring of a monster.  She heard the thwumping sound of monsters striking against each other like during a duel.  She could hear the crackle of fire—there was a fight going on somewhere, but she couldn’t see it.  Where was it?  What had happened to everyone?

“Did…did you do this?” Saki whispered.  She heard the armored figure step to the threshold of the arch, waiting behind her.

“And if I did?”

Saki’s hands clenched into the railing.  This was awful…how many people had gotten hurt out there?  And…and what had happened to everyone?  Where were her friends?  Her classmates?  What about…Kaede?  She still hadn’t spoken to her since their fight.

She spun on her heels, lifting up her arm with her Duel Disk on her arm, just in case.

She hesitated when she saw that there was a body laid across the floor that hadn’t been there before.

Laying between her and the armored figure was a young woman.  She looked deathly pale, her eyes closed.  Her long auburn hair was a mess, torn and burnt at random edges, her clothes torn up and stained with soot.

Her face looked familiar.  Saki’s heart jumped into her throat.

Saya.  She looked like Saya.

Saki tried to step forward, but the armored figure stepped over the woman and stood in between them, stopping her from getting close.

“Is she alive?” Saki demanded.  “Did you hurt her?”

“If I did, will you fight me?”

Saki hesitated.  For some reason, she was scared.  Her heart hurt.

“Who are you?” she whispered.

The figure watched her for a moment.  Then, with an agonizing slowness, he reached up for his helmet, pulling it from his head.  His hair fell loose, and Saki’s heart leaped into her throat.

In theory she had been prepared for it, but in practice, she wasn’t at all.  Yuki Judai stared down at her.  He didn’t look like the golden-eyed, black armored person she had seen in the nightmare spell before—that Judai had been young, her age maybe.  This one was the age of the Yuki-sensei she knew.  His face was older and leaner, just like her teacher.  The only difference was that his eyes were a deep gold—and they were incredible cold, without any kindness or warmth that she had come to associate with her professor.

She swallowed.

“Well?” the man said softly, emotionlessly.  “Aren’t you going to fight me?”

Saki’s eyes flickered from the dark Judai to the woman on the floor.  Saya’s sister.  Behind her, the cries of battle continued.

“You…you can’t be Yuki-sensei,” she finally said, her voice thin.

He tilted his head, face unchanging.

“Oh?  And why not?”

“Because…because Yuki-sensei wouldn’t do something like this!!”

A wry smile broke over his face.  It was the first expression he had made, and it made her shiver.

“He wouldn’t, would he?  Didn’t he—didn’t _I_ —tell you myself what I did?  You saw this armor.  You know what happened.”

“It…that doesn’t matter!  Yuki-sensei wouldn’t do it again!”

He stepped forward again, too close this time.  Saki scrambled back automatically and found herself backed up against the railing.  He stepped forward again, practically pinning her against the railing.  Her heart was in her throat; she couldn’t breathe.

It wasn’t real.  It couldn’t be.  Yuki-sensei would never do this.  This was fake; this person wasn’t really him!  But she couldn’t deny how terrified she felt, how much she wanted to scream for help.  She lifted her Duel Disk a little higher between her and him.

“But if I was the real Yuki Judai,” he asked her.  “Would you fight me?”

Saki’s heart hammered in her chest.  She was going to cry.  She didn’t want…she didn’t want this.  Yuki-sensei wouldn’t do this.  Would he?  She was starting to worry.  Could they have done something that turned him back, when they fell through to Dark World?  Or did the Phantasms do something?  Was this the real Yuki Judai, or a fake one?

“You’re wearing a spell disruptor.  Do you really think this is just a nightmare?  Or is it reality?”

He…he had a point.  With Saya’s spell disruptor, she couldn’t be in an illusion.  This was, somehow, reality.

Saki’s eyes flickered to Saya’s sister on the floor again.  She was here…did Yuki-sensei actually hurt her?  He said that maybe she had been there when he was that dark king all those years ago…that maybe she had gotten hurt then.

 _He told me the truth when I asked_ , she remembered. _It hurt, and it was probably scary, but he told me the truth_.

Could Yuki-sensei really hurt anyone?  The Yuki-sensei that she knew now?

 _“So if you think it’s the right thing to do, then just do your best.”_   Oh, she thought.  She didn’t know why she was remembering that now, but she remembered Yuki-sensei saying that. _“And if something goes wrong, ask for help.  That’s what Johan and I are here for.  That’s what all your teachers are here for—to support you when you want or need it.”_

She stared up into the golden eyes that stared down at her.  She thought of the real Yuki Judai.  The young man with the worn out Osiris jacket and the tired smile.  He never lied.  He just told them all what they needed to hear.  He never told them not to do something because it was too dangerous—he just told them that he was there to help.  He wore himself down looking constantly for Saya’s sister.  Would he really hurt her if he found her, after looking for her for so long?

Saki didn’t think so.

Saki swallowed.

“You’re not Yuki-sensei,” she said.

The man blinked, lips twitching.

“Oh?” he said.  “Is that your conclusion?”

She tightened her fist, holding up her Duel Disk.

“Yuki-sensei wouldn’t hurt people like this,” she said.  “Yuki-sensei cares about us—he wants to make sure that kids like us don’t get hurt again.  He wouldn’t ever hurt us or Saya’s sister, especially!  This is all a lie!”

The man frowned faintly.

“So this is the delusion you’ll cling to?” he said.  “The delusion that Yuki Judai has the _ability_ to care about anyone?”

Anger sparked in Saki’s chest.  She remembered Yuki-sensei’s tired smile, the exhaustion that shone in his eyes any time that he let his guard down.  That this creature would ever say that their teacher didn’t care about them—how dare he!

“I’ll trust Yuki-sensei,” she said.  “And I won’t—I _won’t_ —let you change that, ever!!”

A pain spiked behind her head.  For a moment, she panicked.  She thought something was attacking her.  But no, the pain was coming from inside, a bubbling, roaring heat that started in the base of her spine and roared up through her body.

“I won’t let you!” she shouted again—or at least, she thought that was what she said, but instead what came out was a bestial roar.

Wind rushed past her from behind, flinging her hair into the wind.  She saw the fake Judai flinch with surprise, eyes flashing upward.  A shadow fell over the pair of them, and Saki dared to look up.

Angel beat his massive wings over their heads, in his full Buster Dragon form.  He roared again, making the whole world tremble.

Then he dropped something large from his big black claws, and automatically, Saki grabbed for it.  She registered that what she was holding was the massive Buster Sword of her ace fusion.  She didn’t know how, or why, Angel was here, or why he had given this to her.

But as though acting on some internal instinct, Saki gripped the gigantic sword in both hands.  With a cry that matched Angel’s roar, she swiped the sword through the fake Judai.

He vanished as the sword passed through him, disappearing like a smoky shadow that wisped out of existence.  All at once, the castle, the ruined Duel Academy, the image of Saya’s sister on the ground, all of it disappeared just like the dark Judai had.

Saki floated down through the darkness, her sword disappearing, and she felt the silky fur of Angel’s wings folding around her, his large arms enveloping her in safety.

A breath hissed past her ear.

 _“How fascinating,”_ it said.  _“So he really inspires so much loyalty.  I’m impressed.  With all of you.”_

She felt something cold and round in her palm, and automatically she closed her hand around it.

 _“A gift, since all of you earned it,”_ the breath whispered.  _“We’ll meet again, I think.”_

“W-who are you?” Saki managed to whispered.  “Who are you, really?”

The breath didn’t respond, and as the darkness closed in around her, she thought it was gone.  But then a breath whistled past her ear again.

_“You can call me Armityle.”_

*    *    *

Saki awoke slowly.  For a moment, she only knew that she was warm and cozy.  That was a nice change of pace.  Her vision returned slowly against the uncharacteristic light.  It took her a few moments to realize that she was lying on what appeared to be a hospital bed, tucked under the covers.  There was no medical apparatus attached to her, so she was glad of that.  It meant that whatever had happened, it hadn’t been that bad.

She heard a soft gasp, and a scramble of limbs.  Then Miu’s face was poking over her head, brown eyes wide.

“Saki?” she whispered, voice trembling.

Saki tried to smile, but she was really tired.

“I’m awake,” she said.  “I’m okay, Miu-chan.”

Miu made a very quiet sound that might have been a sob, and planted her face against Saki’s chest.  Saki oofed.  She managed to get one arm up to awkwardly pat Miu on the head.

“Is she up?  Is she up?”

Saya’s voice floated over to her.

“Saya-senpai, lay back down before Ayukawa-sensei gets mad at us,” Minato’s voice came next.

“Urggh, you guys are loud,” Nina said.

“Oh please, you’re one to talk.”

Saki felt her lips stretching into a wider smile.  Everyone was here.  Everyone was okay.

She heard a door open, and Miu popped up.

“Everyone’s awake!” she said.

“Thank god.”

Saki gasped softly.  That was Yuki-sensei!  Miu popped back a bit, and Saki managed to lift herself up just enough to prop herself on the pillows, looking out at the room.  They were in the school’s small nurse’s office, and it seemed there was just enough room for her and the other four who had come to Dark World with her.  Saya was sitting on top of the covers, legs crossed and hands pressed to her knees.  Taro looked like he was still falling asleep, and Minato was fumbling for their hat where it sat on the nightstand beside them.  Nina rolled over to push her face into her pillow.

Yuki-sensei and Andersen-sensei both appeared, both of them looking pale, drawn, and exhausted.  Both smiled though, to see everyone was up.

“Everyone feeling all right?” Andersen-sensei asked.  “You all looked fine, but…you never know after a dimensional transfer like that.”

“I feel fine!” Saya said.

“I’m okay,” Saki said.

“Tired,” Nina moaned.

“I can agree with that,” said Taro.

Andersen-sensei laughed softly.

“You’re going to be, after something like that…”

Saki swallowed, her eyes fixed on Yuki-sensei.  He hadn’t spoken yet, but he just looked immensely relieved that everyone was okay.  In fact, he looked like he was about to fall over.  She smiled—this was the real Yuki-sensei for sure.

“Do you know what happened to us?” Saki asked, her voice hoarse.

Their teachers exchanged glances.  Yuki-sensei sat down on one of the chairs near Saya’s bed, first.

“Well, like I said to you guys before…you fell through a rip in dimensions.  It was caused by the agitation of everyone using their magic too close to the Phantasms’ seal.”

“Are the Phantasms going to get out?” Taro asked worriedly.

Andersen-sensei shook his head.

“No, don’t worry,” he said.  “In fact, Judai and I just moved them.  We’ve found a much…safer location for the cards, and placed a stronger seal.  They won’t be bothering this school again.”

“It was stupid of us to leave them there in the first place,” Yuki-sensei said, sighing.  “Anyway…it looks like when you guys fell through, you were caught up in some magical interference, which put you all into several layers of nightmare spells.”

“My spell disruptors weren’t good enough, I guess,” Saya said, frowning.

“Well, they were good for the first nightmare…not for the second.”

Yuki-sensei frowned.

“I’m still not entirely sure what happened with that second one, since I’ve only gotten pieces from all of you.  Does anyone remember anything?”

Saki opened her mouth, and realized suddenly that—she didn’t really remember it at all.  She…she remembered seeing the dark, fake Judai.  She remembered getting mad, and…and what else?  She didn’t quite remember…

Oh, she breathed.

“I heard something talk to me before I woke up,” she said.  “It…it said its name was Armityle.”

Yuki’s jaw tightened, and Taro made a strangled sound.  Saki realized then that the name was familiar to her—that was what Taro had said the name of the original form of the Phantasms was.

“It…it wasn’t telling the truth, was it?”

Yuki-sensei looked at his knees.

“I don’t know,” he said.  “And I’m telling you that honestly.  If I knew more, I would let you know, but all I have right now is speculation.  I don’t want to worry you guys any more than you already have been.”

He looked up, and gave them all a tired smile.

“I’m really proud of you guys,” he said.  “We both are.  You did great, under the circumstances.”

“You’ve all been asleep for a few days, so you’re being given a pass on your midterms, too,” Andersen-sensei said, grinning.  “I’ll expect that’s good news.”

Nina shot straight up.

“No _tests_???  Hell yeah!”

Both of their teachers laughed, and Saki couldn’t help but giggle.  There was a soft tap on the door, then, and the nurse’s voice floated through.

“If you all are done agitating my patients, I need to come in and check on everyone,” she said.

Yuki-sensei winced.

“That’s our cue,” he said, standing up.  “You guys take it easy for a bit, okay?  And if you find yourself experiencing anything…unnatural…you talk to me or Johan right away.”

“Yes, Yuki-sensei,” the students said almost in unison.

He winked at them, and after a last smile from Andersen-sensei, they both turned and left.

It was only then that Saki remembered that there was something in her hand—that she remembered the “gift.”

She opened her palm and looked down at it.  It appeared to be…just a clear, white marble.  What was this…?

_“You can call me Armityle.  I have a feeling we will meet again.”_

Saki shivered, and closed her hand around the sphere.

She hoped she’d never see that demon creature ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so how about an alternative ending where Judai stayed the Supreme King and took over all the worlds? XD
> 
> just two more chapters left, thank you all for following this project, I'm honestly absolutely shocked at how much support you guys have given this project and I'm beside myself with happiness. You guys are the best!


	29. Vs. Saya - Graduation Duel!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's already the end of the year, and Saki's been chosen as the first-year representative for the graduation duel! Her opponent is...Saya-senpai!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Graduation

“And we are happy to announce that the delegates for our annual graduation send off duel have been selected,” Samejima read from the podium, his voice echoing over the lecture hall. “Our highest ranked third-year this year is…Nishimura Saya.”

Nina let out a whoop and applause echoed faintly through the room, mostly from the Osiris and Ra kids. A lot of the Obelisk students looked a little miffed, or even angry. Saya just leaned forward in her seat with a grin, turning around to send a peace sign at her fellow Osiris. Saki grinned. She deserved it; Saya was one of the best duelists she had ever seen!

She felt a finger poke into her back, and she glanced over her shoulder. Lin was in the seat behind her, and they put a finger to their lips before leaning forward.

“I was looking at that marble you brought back again,” they said. “And I finally got a vision on it—I know what it is.”

Saki’s heart leaped.

“What? What is it?”

“Coordinates,” Lin said. “It’s directions.”

“To what?”

Saki’s heart hammered in her ears, because she thought she already knew. Lin’s faint smile only confirmed it.

“I asked some of the spirits to check, there’s no doubt. It’s directions to where Saya’s sister is.”

Saki’s breath caught. After months and months…had they finally found her? She bit her lip, though.

“Do you think it’s a trap? I mean…Armityle gave it to me.”

Lin frowned, but before they could speak, Samejima’s voice caught Saki’s attention again.

“And our first-year who will be dueling against Nishimura-san, with the highest grades in the freshman class, will be Yamaguchi Saki.”

Saki sat bolt upright, spinning around in her seat. She heard some more groans raise up from the Obelisks and a few shouts of distaste, probably because both graduation duel representatives were from Osiris. But what— _she_ had been the one with the highest grades?

Saya spun in her seat and sent Saki finger guns. She mouthed at her, _“can’t wait for our rematch.”_

Oh, Saki realized then, suddenly. Graduation was coming…

That meant…Saya would be leaving soon.

* * *

“So you’re sure?”

“Very sure—she seems to be in some kind of dormant state, but she’s there.”

“I can’t believe after all this time we found her!”

“Sh sh sh!! We still don’t know if we can get her safely back—don’t be so loud!”

Nina grabbed Taro with one arm, and Minato with the other, forcing them all to lean down in a huddle. Minato rolled their eyes, but let her do it. Nina could feel Taro’s tail wagging against her leg. Miu also sort of crouched down, blinking with some confusion, but she was already so short that she didn’t really need to in order to join the huddle.

“Okay, so this is what Lin and Hanako both told me, so I’m going to pass it along,” Nina said. “Lin said that their lithomancy on the marble helped them find where Saya-senpai’s sister is. But she’s dormant, and we don’t quite know how to reach where she is; it looks like she fell into a pocket dimension of some kind.”

“Can Miu just walk in and get her?” Miu asked.

“Doesn’t sound like it; if you did, you’d be stuck in between time just like her, dormant,” Nina said. “Hanako said that according to her vision, we need a way to cut through the dimension, like…pop the bubble. So what we need is Saki.”

“Saki?” Taro said, blinking.

“Yeah!! You remember how she described her experience with that evil Judai vision? At the end, she cut it all open with that sword. Hanako and Lin both agree that they think Buster Blader can cut through dimensions, which is how we ended up getting out of that Armityle thingy.”

“Huh.”

“Kids? Is something wrong?”

All four of them shot straight up. Tenjoin-sensei was standing there, blinking at them.

“Anything wrong?” she asked.

“Nope! We’re just talking about tips to give Saki for her match!” Nina said, as cheery as ever.

Tenjoin smiled, and laughed softly.

“Just don’t overwhelm her,” she said. “I remember when Judai-san was picked to be the freshman duelist…we all tried to get him to use our aces in his deck so that they’d get to participate.”

“Whoa, you went to school with Yuki-sensei?” Nina said, eyes widening.

“Who do you think kept him out of trouble?” their teacher teased. “Anyway, make sure you don’t neglect your last classes and tests, now.”

“We won’t,” they chorused, and then Nina grabbed Miu’s hand and they all scurried off.

* * *

Saki shuffled through her cards. She laid them out on the table, one at a time.

 _We might get Saya’s sister back_ , she thought.

Then, _Saya’s going to graduate._

She bit her lip. Why did it hurt? She knew it had to happen. She touched each one of her cards, feeling the pulse of the spirit on the other side. She…she wanted to upgrade this. She needed to make sure she gave Saya-senpai the best duel ever. Even if she lost, she had to make sure she gave her a good duel. Worthy of being their last.

She touched Buster Dragon, the shiny white card staring up at her. She still didn’t know how, or why it had just…appeared. Miu and Ren and the others with their special cards, they had gotten them from Pegasus, or as limited edition new cards. Hers had just…appeared. Angel had evolved on his own. This game really was mysterious.

A soft tap came from the door, and Saki blinked, looking up.

“Who is it?” she called. Miu wouldn’t knock before coming in, and…almost none of her other friends in Osiris would knock, either. Minato would, but their knock wasn’t so timid.

No one answered for a moment. Had she imagined it?

“It…it’s Kaede.”

Saki’s breath caught. What…what was she doing here…?

For a moment, Saki almost told her to go away. She didn’t get up from her desk, didn’t move. But after the silence dragged on for too long, she stood up and walked to the door.

She half expected Kaede to be gone by the time she opened it up. But no, she was still there, standing at the threshold with her fists at her sides, staring at the floor.

“Um…hi,” Saki said. “Can…can I do something for you…?”

Kaede scowled for a moment, and bit her lip. Then she looked up at Saki with a fierce expression.

“I wanted to apologize,” she said. “I know it’s—it’s way too long now, it’s been months. But—ugh. After that…whole shit with what happened in winter and you were in the hospital and no one would tell anyone why and even then I couldn’t bring myself to see you and—”

She ran her hand down her face, grimacing.

“…win that duel tomorrow,” she said. “Or at least, put up a really good fight. Okay?”

Saki’s lips parted. She had never seen Kaede act so prickly before; she was always the cheerful, lazy sunshine girl who said things that sometimes made Saki upset, but she never really meant them. Maybe…maybe Saki hadn’t been the only one putting on a performance when she had hung out with Kaede.

“I’ll get it if you never want to see me again, but I just had to come by and tell you good luck,” Kaede said. “Some…Obelisk assholes were complaining that you were both Osiris. But…dammit. You’re good, Saki, you’re better than every single one of those jokers in Obelisk, and I don’t want to hear them saying things like that about you just because you’re in Osiris. So show them whose boss.”

Saki didn’t know she was going to be able to speak. She was just so shocked.

“That’s all I wanted to say. Good luck. Bye.”

She tried to turn around and storm away, but Saki, instinctively, reached out to grab her wrist. For a moment, they both just froze, not quite looking at each other.

“Um,” Saki mumbled. “Thank you.”

Kaede looked up, and the prickly ire had somewhat faded from her eyes. Saki let go of her wrist, but she didn’t go quite yet.

“I don’t…really know what’s going on here,” Kaede said. “But I have a feeling it’s something bigger than I get.”

Saki ducked her head.

“I haven’t exactly…been really straight about it.”

Kaede shook her head.

“And I haven’t given you a reason to be.”

She shifted on her feet.

“I hope we can figure this out again,” she said. “But until then…good luck tomorrow.”

She tentatively held out here hand. After a beat, Saki smiled. She gripped Kaede’s hand back.

“Thank you,” she said. “I hope so too.”

She smiled.

“Please just watch tomorrow,” she said. “And I promise…if something happens tomorrow, maybe it’ll be the first step in me being able to tell the truth.”

Kaede smiled, but it wasn’t the lazy sunshine smile that Saki had been once accustomed to.

“I think that’s fair.”

* * *

Saki was standing at the very edge of the corridor, peering nervously out into the light where the hum of people chattering echoed through the arena.

 _She’s worrying herself again_ , Saya thought, grinning. _Can’t have that, can we?_

Saki squeaked when Saya bopped her on the back of the head, pushing her head down a bit.

“Hey, you! Cheer up!!”

Saki put her hands over the spot where Saya had bopped her, glaring at her half-heartedly.

“How do you know I’m not cheerful?” she said.

“Because I know you,” Saya teased, bopping her nose this time. “You worry about everything. Now don’t tell me, lemme guess…you’re…sad because the third-years are graduating.”

Saki blushed, and Saya knew she had hit the mark.

“Are you sure you shouldn’t be in oracle class?” Saki said.

“It doesn’t take a mind reader to guess,” Saya said. “And oracles aren’t mind readers anyway.”

Saya glanced out into the light. Out there was the duel field, one where she had practiced and had test duels for three years. It would be the last time she walked out there. Huh…how fast it passes.

She reached out without looking to ruffle Saki’s hair. Saki yelped with protest, and Saya had to smile.

“Now listen,” she said, looking down at Saki. “When one of our life points hits zero out there, I won’t be a student anymore. I’ll graduate from being your senpai.”

She grinned and patted Saki’s head again.

“But I don’t want to leave without having a good time,” she said. “So smile, Sacchan. Let’s have fun!”

Saki looked, briefly, like she was going to cry. But she rubbed at her eyes and looked up with more determination.

“I’ll give you the absolute best duel ever, Saya-senpai.”

“That’s the spirit!! Let’s get out there and show them how much fun dueling is.”

Saki turned towards the light and hesitated for just a breath. Then she looked at Saya, and smiled.

“By the way, you’re not gonna graduate from being our senpai,” she said. “You’re stuck with us kohai for the rest of time.”

And she skipped out into the light before Saya could respond. Saya had to giggle before she followed, out into the lights of Duel Academia’s duel field for the last time.

* * *

“ _Duel!”_

The entire room rocked with the sound everyone shouting at the same time. Saki could feel the tension pounding in around her. There was ire and anger in the glares from the Obelisk students on the other side of her, probably still mad that the two representatives were from Osiris instead of one of them. There were some cheers and more positive energy from behind her, where Osiris was seated, and a mixed, anticipatory hum from the Ra students.

Saki sucked in a breath, and blocked everyone else out. They didn’t matter. Only meeting Saya-senpai head on mattered. She drew her cards.

“As the leaving senior, I’ll be going first,” Saya said, winking. “Draw!”

She slid the new card into her hand and selected another one.

“I activate the spell card, Kyoutou Waterfront!”

Starting with her field spell right off the bat—Saya was serious. The water blossomed from the center of the field, filling up the arena and blooming upwards, mostly hiding away their audience. Saki once again stood on the edge of a harbor, while Saya bobbed softly on top of a boat.

“Next, I activate Foolish Burial!” Saya said. “I can send one card from my deck to my graveyard. I’ll send Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju!”

She slid her card into the graveyard, and one floor on the tower at the edge of the harbor lit up. That was one counter.

“I’ll set two cards and end my turn,” Saya said.

Saya had put herself at a disadvantage, Saki realized. Going first with her deck was incredibly difficult, because without any monsters on Saki’s side, she couldn’t summon her Kaiju. But why had she sent one to the graveyard? Saki didn’t think there was a proven way to get the Kaiju out of the graveyard, unless Saya was packing a Monster Reborn…which wouldn’t help her unless she has used it right now!

 _She’s doing it again_ , Saki thought. _Putting herself at a disadvantage to make the duel more fun._

“All right, my turn! Draw!”

She’d have to do as much damage as she could now, because once Saya got rolling, she wouldn’t stop.

“I normal summon Buster Whelp in attack mode!” she said.

Angel leaped onto the field, tail flipping and ready for a fight.

“I’ll activate his effect, sending him to the graveyard to special summon Buster Blader from my hand!”

“Solid play, solid play,” Saya said, as the transfer of Angel to the graveyard gave Kyoutou one more counter, another floor lighting up. “But you’re gonna have to do more than that to keep me interested, Sacchan!”

Buster Blader stepped out through the light that Angel had made for him, wielding his sword. Saki smiled. She definitely had something more interesting getting started.

“I activate Double Summon! This lets me normal summon a second time this turn—and I summon Monster Buster!”

A new creature like angel appeared, wielding a huge, thick sword that was bigger than even Buster Blader in its mouth.

“I equip Monster Buster to Buster Blader, and it gives him one thousand attack points!”

Monster Buster leaped up to Buster Blader’s shoulder, dropping the sword into Buster Blader’s hands to replace his other sword.

“All right, battle! Buster Blader, attack her directly!”

Saya whistled softly.

“I love your enthusiasm,” she said. “But sorry, not gonna be that easy! I activate the quick play spell, Interrupted Kaiju Slumber!”

Her card flipped face up, and immediately, the harbor began to churn. The ground around Saki’s feet cracked and bubbled, and Buster Blader went tumbling into the surf along wth Monster Buster.

“After destroying all our monsters and giving Kyoutou another counter, I special summon a Kaiju to each of our fields!

Bursting out of the surf with a clicking hiss, a giant spider emerged near Saki’s feet. She squeaked and stumbled back in spite of herself as the spider lifted itself onto the harbor on her side of the field. Behind Saya’s boat, a massive wave exploded, as a metallic, faceted creature burst from the water.

“I summon Kumongous, the Stick String Kaiju to your side of the field, and Jizukiru, the Star Destroying Kaiju, to mine! And by the effect of my spell, they have to battle!”

That would do Saki some significant damage—if she didn’t already have a plan.

“I activate the effect of Monster Buster in my graveyard!” Saki said. “When you special summon a monster that’s six levels or higher, I can banish Monster Buster from the graveyard and tribute one monster on my side of the field to special summon Buster Blader with one thousand extra attack points!”

Her spider kaiju collapsed and dissolved, and Buster Blader reemerged in its wake, sword in hand.

“Buster Blader has three hundred more attack than Jizukiru! Go, Buster Blader—Buster Slash!”

Her knight surged forward, sword clanging against Jizukiru’s hide. For a moment, the two struggled, and then Jizukiru shattered.

“Kyoutou will get two more counters for the two monsters sent to the graveyard,” Saya said, looking very unperturbed as she lost three hundred life points. “Which is max, so no more counters.”

The whole tower lit up as Buster Blader landed silently behind Saki again. Saki felt her heart ready to burst with excitement. That had all move so quickly, but she had managed to do it! She had managed to match Saya-senpai blow for blow!

“That’s all for my turn,” she said. “Your go, senpai!”

“You’re really getting me heated up,” Saya said, grinning. “I’m excited, Sacchan! Draw!”

She glanced at her card and put it into her hand.

“I activate the effect of my field spell! When it has three or more counters, I can add a Kaiju from my deck to my hand—let’s go, Dogoran!”

Saki sucked in a breath. Dogoran—here came one of Saya’s best monsters, already!

“Next, I activate The Kaiju Files!”

That familiar desk appeared beside Saya again, with the files scattered all over it.

“I’ll tribute your Buster Blader to summon Gadarla, the Mystery Dust Kaiju, to your side of the field!”

Saki threw up her hands in defense as the Buster Blader shattered, and a giant moth spraying dust appeared in its wake.

“And since you have a Kaiju, I can special summon Dogoran from my hand!”

The waters burst again, this time with steam and haze, as the fiery creature emerged from the waves, roaring and spurting with fire all down its back.

“The Kaiju Files gain two counters for those two special summons,” Saya said. “But I’ll be removing both of them—plus one from Kyoutou—to activate Dogoran’s effect! Burning Hell Striker!”

Dogoran’s mouth opened wide, and fire spewed forth. Saki once again threw up her hands, but she needn’t have bothered—Gadarla shrieked and shot forward to meet the fires, as though it could take it on all itself. It vanished into smoke, however, and Dogoran went briefly dark and ember-y, flames briefly worn out. Kyoutou, however, lit up its last floor again.

“Dogoran can’t attack the turn he uses that effect,” Saya said. “But—I’m going to use the other effect of The Kaiju Files! I can destroy one Kaiju on the field to special summon another to the owner’s field!’

Dogoran roared, but it sank back beneath the waves. The water didn’t stay calm for long, however, Saya’s boat almost entirely turning over as the new monster emerged.

“I choose Thunder King, the Lightningstrike Kaiju!”

Saki gaped, her eyes bulging. She hadn’t seen this creature before! It was a massive, dragon-like creature, with three heads, smoky gray scales, and terrifying horns and teeth. Lighting sparked between its wings and the ground, and when it roared, the whole space trembled.

“Thunder King, direct attack!” Saya said.

Saki braced herself, as all three heads drew together to let lightning fly from their maws. The lightning struck the ground on all sides of her, and she could feel her hair standing on end like it was real and not holograms.

That was thirty-three hundred life points all at once! She was down to seven hundred! Saya really wasn’t messing around.

“That’s all I can do for this round, but lemme tell ya something—Thunder King’s effect lets it attack three times against monsters! So be careful what you summon next, Sacchan!!”

She grinned with a wild abandon towards Saki, her hair flapping in the wind as her boat rocked back and forth beneath her feet.

“Let me have it, Sacchan—everything you’ve got!”

Saki grinned. She had only seven hundred life points left, and Saya-senpai had a monster that could attack three monsters at once, with attack that Saki didn’t think she could match.

She was _excited_.

“My turn!” she cried. “Draw!”

It was here! She put it aside for now and grabbed another card from her hand.

“I activate the spell card Buster Prayer!” she said. “If I have less than one thousand life points, I can send a Buster monster from my deck to my graveyard to special summon Buster Dragon from my extra deck, ignoring summoning conditionings!”

She sent Robot Buster to the graveyard, and then reached for her Extra Deck.

“Young dragon and ancient dragon slayer, resonate to find your awakened form! Synchro summon: level eight Buster Dragon!”

Angel emerged, roaring in all his furry glory with his wings spread wide.

“Next, I normal summon World Buster!”

Another mini dragon like Angel appeared, wielding a thin, delicate weapon like an elegant rapier.

“World Buster’s effect: once per turn, when special summoning monsters from my Extra Deck, as long as this card is face up on the field, I can use materials in my graveyard!”

Saya’s eyes lit up, and she laughed.

“Now that’s the way to surprise me!” she said.

Saki grinned and took her next card.

“I activate Destruction Swordsman Fusion! From my graveyard, I fuse Buster Whelp and Buster Blader to special summon Buster Blader, the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman!”

Her shining knight appeared, wielding its heavy blade over its shoulders, feet sinking heavily into the dirt.

“Due to Buster Dragon’s effect, all of your monsters are considered dragons—and when The Dragon Destroyer Swordsman is on the field, all Dragon types go to defense position!”

Thunder King lowered all three of its heads, landing heavily in the ocean.

“That’s great, Sacchan!!” Saya said. “Hit me with everything you’ve got!”

Saki grinned, feeling heady with the excitement.

“I’m not done surprising you yet, Saya-senpai,” she said. “World Buster is a tuner!”

For a moment, Saya’s smile slipped with absolute shock. And then she lit up with excitement.

“I tune World Buster with Dragon Destroy Swordsman,” Saki said. “Shining new slayer, take the new blade from your partner’s maw and open up a new world! Synchro summon!”

Buster Blader glowed along with World Buster and the two swirled into green portails with stars rushing through them.

“Appear now, level nine, World Dragon, the Beginning of Swords!”

The air split with light, and from the rip came a long, sinous dragon. Six pairs of wings ran all down its furry back, thin wisps of whiskers floated from its nose, and pearly eyes looked out at the world as it emerged. In each of its six pairs of legs, it gripped different kind of sword.

Saya whistled.

“Thirty-five hundred attack points,” she said. “That’s a toughie.”

Saki grinned.

“I use Buster Dragon’s effect to equip World Buster to World Dragon from the graveyard!”

World Buster reappeared, landing on World Dragon’s head. It clamped itself into place, tiny sword still clamped in its mouth.

“World Buster’s effect gives World Dragon piercing damage—and by World Dragon’s effect, you can’t target any other dragons on the field for attacks, so Buster Dragon is safe. Not only that, but World Dragon can’t be targeted or destroyed by monster effects!”

“So no tributing it for Kaijus,” Saya said, grinning. “I’m impressed, Sacchan—now lay it on me!”

Saki smiled and nodded.

“World Dragon attacks Thunder King, and then Buster Dragon attacks you directly!”

Saya crossed her arms in front of herself as the ocean exploded, when World Dragon soared into the sky and slashed down through the defending Thunder King. Angel rose up next, beating his wings powerfully into a massive gust that made Saya stumble back a step.

“I end my turn,” Saki said, as Saya’s life points dropped to eleven hundred.

Saya straightened herself up, brushing off her coat. When she looked up, her face was shining.

“This is amazing,” she said. “Sacchan, you really are giving me the best duel ever! I’ve got to match your enthusiasm!!”

“I’m ready, Saya-senpai, do your worst!”

Saya grinned.

“My turn! Draw!”

She glanced at the card, and a smile spread over her face.

“Sacchan, this has been the best duel I’ve had in three years,” she said. “And to properly thank you, I’ve gotta give it my all.”

She thrust her hand forward.

“I discard Radian from my hand to activate my face down, Kaiju Call! I can add any one Kaiju from my deck to my hand.”

She tugged the card poking free from her deck.

“You’ve shown me an awesome monster, Sacchan,” Saya said. “So that’s why you’re gonna have the opportunity to meet my newest monster—they’ve never gotten to fight before because I was waiting for them to have an opponent worth fighting.”

She turned the card forward and slapped it onto her disk.

“When I have six or more Kaiju with different names in my graveyard, I can special summon Cathlu, the Eldritch Kaiju!”

The monster that rose up from the depths this time was unlike anything Saki had seen so far.

It was enormous—it put Thunder King and Dogoran both to shame. It was a huge, hulking creature, dark green and slimy in places, scaley in others, in the vaguest shape of a hulking gorilla, but with a face full of thick-tentacle like whiskers that squirmed to reveal pincers underneath.

“Unknown attack points?” Saki said, eyes widening. But damn—Saya had sent Gameciel to the graveyard on her first turn. She had been preparing for this all this time!

“Cathlu is special—it gains five hundred attack points for every Kaiju in my graveyard—I’ve got six, so that means it gets a total of three thousand!”

Cathlu roared, whiskers flapping as its pincers clicked together.

“That’s not enough to beat World Dragon,” Saki said.

“I know, and that’s why I’ve got do something a lot crazier,” Saya said. “I’m so excited, Sacchan—this was the best way to end this duel. Thank you!!”

Saki’s heart hammered. The duel was going to end?? Already? Saya was calling it!

“I activate the spell card Final Stand of the Kaiju! By destroying all counters on the field, I can make Cathlu have attack equal to the monster with the highest attack on the field!”

All of the lights on Kyoutou's tower went out, and suddenly they were plunged into a starry darkness. World Dragon roared, getting up on its hind legs and brandishing its many swords.

“It'll just be mutual destruction!” Saki said with shock, as Cathlu's attack points raised to World Dragon's thirty-five hundred. “You can't attack Buster Dragon!”

“Don't hold back even so, Sacchan!” Saya said. “Let's fight this out to the end!!”

Saki didn't know what Saya was planning, but her heart was hammering even so, and she felt dizzy with the entire excitement of it. She grinned—Saya's cheer was infectious.

“All right,” she said. “Then meet her all the way, World Dragon!!”

“Go, Cathlu!! Show 'em that fighting spirit!”

World Dragon snaked up into the sky, wielding its swords with a cry. Cathlu roared, and reached up with its huge hands, meeting World Dragon in the middle. For a moment, the two just struggled, tentacles flailing, swords slashing—and then the world exploded, and Saki had to throw her hands in front of her face from the smoke.

“C-Cathlu's other effect!” Saya coughed through the smoke. “When it's destroyed, we both take damage equal to the attack it had when it was destroyed!”

_It's a draw!!_

Saki flew backwards as her life points hit zero. She heard Saya's counter go down to zero too, and Saki skidded to her feet as the field spell dissipated, leaving them both standing back on the duel field, shaking and barely standing with dizziness.

For a moment, Saki couldn't hear anything but the roaring in her ears. It was...it was over. She hadn't won, but she hadn't...lost, either.

And then a shout rose up from the stands.

“ _HELL YEAH YOU GUYS!_ ” Nina shrieked.

It was like it broke some kind of spell. Immediately, the arena roared to life with shouts and applause. Saki gasped for breath, her shoulder rising and falling. She looked around, mouth hanging open. They were _all_ smiling and clapping. Even the Obelisk class!

Saya's hand dropped onto her shoulder. Saki looked up. Saya looked a little flushed, even sweaty.

“That was the best,” she said, grinning. “Thanks, Sacchan.”

Saki smiled, feeling dizzy with the excitement. She opened her mouth to say thank you, too, when she realized something. She thought she heard Lin's voice rising up over the crowd—that was odd, because they were normally incredibly quiet.

And that was when Saki realized that World Buster hadn't disappeared yet.

The tiny dragon creature slowly floated down towards the ground, the sword in its mouth. Saki automatically reached her hands out towards it, eyes widening. What was World Buster doing here? The duel was over, the solid vision should be gone—and she wasn't a psychic duelist.

But the sword that fell into her hands was real, incredibly real. World Buster vanished, but the thin blade remained.

The world got quiet all around her; it was like everyone was distant, her ears buzzing. She gripped the sword hilt in both hands. In the distance, she saw Lin standing up as tall as they could, Hanako supporting them, waving their hand with the tiny sphere that she had given them. The light flashed over her eyes, and glittered against—against something in the air. Some kind of ripple.

In slow motion the world turned around her, and she braced herself against the hilt, shoving it forward against the ripple.

The blade sliced through it as though it were made of air—and maybe it was. But the air split open, and for a moment, she saw the sparkle and twist of colors that didn't exist in her world, or in any world. She gasped, choking on the colors for a moment.

And then a shape dropped out of the rip, and the sword in her hands was gone and the world snapped back into regular sound and speed. Saki stumbled falling back into Saya's arms.

“H-hey!” Saya said. “Hey, what happened? Sacchan, are you okay? Saki?”

Saki gasped for breath—she felt like she had just run a marathon.

The shape on the ground, that had fallen through the rift, shifted. A soft moan rose up. Saki felt Saya freeze.

“Oh my god,” Saya whispered.

The shape dizzily untangled itself, sitting up and swaying. The entire room had gone entirely silent then, everyone staring at the person sitting in the middle of the duel field who hadn't been there before. Pale hazel eyes glanced around, tangled and matted auburn hair fell loosely around a pale, scuffed face. The eyes found Saki, and then lifted up.

Saya let go of Saki and Saki almost fell over. Saya collapsed forward, throwing her arms around the young woman.

“Oh my god, Hinata, Hinata, neesan, you're here, you're home, you're back oh my god where were you where did you come from—”

Nishimura Hinata just smiled the tiredest, most relieved smile that Saki had ever seen in her life, and wrapped her arms around her little sister.

“I'm home, Saya-chan,” she whispered hoarsely. “I'm home.”

Saki stumbled to her knees, exhausted, and heard the sound of Yuki-sensei leaping up on the stage and bolting towards them. She smiled as she closed her eyes against the sudden rush of cheers rising up from Osiris Red.

She wasn't sure how, but...

But Saya's sister had come home.

 


	30. Until Next Year - Goodbye, Duel Academia!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long, and fascinating year. But for now, it's time to say goodbye to Duel Academia. Until next time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GX Month Prompt: Later in life

The ship blared its foghorn once.

“That’s the cue, guys, five minutes to board,” Tenjoin-sensei shouted.  “All right, all right, last call to make sure you have everything!”

Saki shifted her duffel bag higher on her shoulder.  Her other things had already been loaded onto the ship, so she was all set.

“I know it’s only like a month until the next school year, but I’m gonna miss this,” Nina said, pouting.

“Well this is the last time for the third-years, too,” Minato said.  “Which is probably why Saito and Reina are busy eating each other’s faces.”

Saki tried not to laugh, averting her eyes from where Saito and Reina were uh…saying goodbyes.  As deference to their privacy.

“I’m gonna kinda miss Saito-senpai,” Nina said.  “She made things really fun.”

“You won’t miss her after you kids move into the senior dorm next year,” Saya said, popping up out of nowhere.  “And you realize that she’s left a ghost in fifty percent of the rooms.”

“Oh geez,” Saki said, whitening.

Saya grinned, ruffling Saki’s hair.  She looked really different without her normal school uniform, in a black turtleneck sweater and jeans, with a golden circle pendant hanging right above her collarbone/

“Don’t worry, Yuki-sensei’ll probably clean ‘em all out before you get there.  But just in case, I’ve made some protection amulets for you guys!”

She dug into her pocket and produced a handful of pendants like the one she was wearing.  They were all in different colors, and Saya handed Saki a silver one. 

“Wow, when did you have time to make all of these?” Minato said, eyes widening.

“Thank you,” Miu said, accepting hers.

“I’ve been putting them together all year to make sure I had something to leave for the firsties,” Saya said, smiling.  “What with all the craziness that happens at this school, especially in Osiris, you’re probably going to need it, yeah?”

Saki looped her pendant around her neck, feeling the nice coolness of it against her skin.  She smiled up at Saya.

“They’re great,” she said.  “Thank you, Saya-senpai.”

“Hey, you, remember, I’m not your senpai anymore,” Saya teased, ruffling her hair again.  “In fact, you might be my senpai when it comes to magic casting, after what you did.”

“Are you really staying here for now, Saya-senpai?” Nina said.

Saya nodded.

“This is the best place for Hinata to be,” she said.  “While she figures herself out and recovers.  Yuki-sensei and Andersen-sensei are the best people equipped to take care of her, and, well, I don’t want to leave her yet.”

She rubbed the back of her neck, looking suddenly awkward.  The face didn’t look right on her.

“I heard from the twins, that you guys were all working all year to try and find her,” she said.  “And meanwhile I…I had just given up.  I don’t think I realized that, but I definitely had.  I owe you guys…big time.”

“No, you really don’t,” Minato said.  “You owe Saki, though.”

“Minato!” Saki said, flushing.  “I didn’t even really do anything; World Buster did.”

Regardless of her protests, Saya wrapped Saki into a huge, suffocating hug.  Minato squeaked when Saya grabbed them, too, and then Nina and Miu were both joining the group hug, and Saki yelped as Taro leaped from nowhere to smack into them to join the hug.

“I love you guys,” Saya mumbled into the hug.  “Ugh.”

She popped back and the hug fell apart, everyone giggling slightly.

“I might still be here when you get back for second-year, so come say hi to me!” Saya said. “Have a great break, and don’t mess with too much magic stuff!”

The horn blew again, and Tenjoin-sensei’s voice rose over the group.

“All right, all right, you guys can all talk on the ship, let’s get going before it needs to leave, everyone!”

Saya clapped Saki on the back, pushing her forward.

“Get going you scamps.  I’ll see you later.”

“R-right!  Bye, Saya-senpai!”

“Bye!!”

“See ya.”

“Goodbye.”

“Oh, hang on,” Saya said, grabbing Saki before she could run.  She pressed another protection amulet into Saki’s hand.

“Huh?  What’s this one for?” Saki said.

“For that girl you’re trying to patch things up with,” Saya said, winking.  “If she gets involved with us, she’ll need one, right?”

Saki blinked.  Then she smiled.

She threw her arms around Saya’s waist and for a moment, Saya just jumped, arms leaping up.  Then she awkwardly hugged Saki back.

“I’ll miss you,” she said.

“Don’t make me cry,” Saya said.  “Now get, you.”

Saki ran alongside the others to reach the boat, getting in line with the mob that was all trying to bottleneck up the stairs.  Laughs and shoves rippled through the group, students all giggling and giddy from the end of the year.

Yuki-sensei and Andersen-sensei were near the bottom of the ramp, counting kids with their clipboards as they got on board.

“Yuki-sensei,” Saki said, waving.  “Andersen-sensei.”

The two both looked up.  Andersen-sensei smiled and waved.

“You have a good break,” he said.

“If any of you guys need anything, you send your monsters to me, okay?” Yuki-sensei called.  “Stay safe!”

“We will!” Nina shouted back.

The mob filed up into the boat, shoving Saki along.  She clung to the second pendant so tightly that it almost cut into her palm, until she was finally on the deck and shuffling safely off towards the railing, where the mob of kids was thinner.

She paused, then, to catch her breath, an ocean breeze tickling past her hair.

“Hey…”

The voice was so quiet in all the commotion that she almost didn’t hear it.  But Angel on her shoulders purred and flicked his tail to get her attention, and she turned.  Kaede stood awkwardly off to the side.

For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other.  Then Kaede rubbed the back of her neck.

“So, nice duel,” she said.  “You guys really put on a great show—all those Obelisk kids really got the smugness knocked out of them.”

“Thanks,” Saki said, smiling.

“And uh…I did watch, like you asked…how about that…magic trick at the end…?”

“Saki, you gonna hang out over here?” Minato said, appearing behind her.  They glanced up at Kaede and tilted their head.

“Saki, Saki, Saki, let’s get a seat on the deck!” Nina shouted, grabbing her hand from the other side.  “Taro’s trying to save spaces for us!”

“Is this Sacchan’s friend?” Miu asked, poking her head out from behind Saki.

Kaede blinked with surprise and took a half step back.  For a moment, she looked…nervous.  Saki gripped the pendant against her chest.

Then she stepped forward, took Kaede’s hand, and pressed the pendant into her palm.

“If you’re willing to stick around for the trip,” she said.  “I think I’ve got a lot to share with you.”

Kaede’s lips parted, and she looked down at the pendant in her hand.  She looked up, eyes clearing catching on the ones that everyone else was wearing.  A faint smile briefly crossed her lips.

She faked a yawn and a stretch.

“Yeah,” she said.  “I think I’ve got time.  It better be an interesting story, though, or I’ll fall asleep.”

Saki felt her own smile widen until it almost hurt.  She looked up at the blue sky, and at the silhouette of Duel Academia in the distance, slowly pulling away as the boat began to move.  Another breeze flung her hair into the wind.

“Yeah,” she said.  “It’s quite the story.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, that was so much fun....
> 
> I started this project on a whim. I remembered that oneshot i had written for last year's GX Month about Saki, Miu, and Kaede, and that "pilot" chapter struck me, about three days into GX Month, about how much I wanted to write more about Judai and Johan's school for powered kids. On that sudden burst of a whim, I bothered my chat group for Duel Monsters to use as inspiration for characters, pulled together a cast of twenty-four original students to populate the new Osiris Dorm, and just rolled, with barely more than a prayer and a prompt list to guide my plot.
> 
> What I wanted out of this was to really capture the essence of GX, particularly the first 2 seasons. Because as cool as season 3 was, what GX really is, is a story about kids. Kids who are going to school to play a silly card game with supernatural aspects. A silly, romping adventure about teenagers fumbling around, doing stupid things, and just enjoying life. I didn't focus too much on plot because of that--I wanted this to be a story that was mostly just...fun.
> 
> I expected maybe two or three readers, probably just my friends. After all, OC-heavy stories really aren't most people's cup of tea, and I totally understand that! It's hard to get involved with a bunch of other people's original characters when you're usually here in fandom for the characters you already know and love.
> 
> I was absolutely blown away by the reaction I got to this project. BLOWN AWAY. I feel so incredibly blessed and lucky to have reached an audience like you guys, who not only gave this story a chance off the bat, but enjoyed it every step of the way. These characters that I threw together in the space of a day or two for a project on a whim have become so important to me in just a month and a half, and I feel so lucky to see that they've become important characters for a lot of you, too. I cannot thank you guys enough for your comments and your support on this project.
> 
> I'm honestly really, really sad to put this story away for now. I'm going to miss these babies more than I can express, but for now, I do need to move my focus to some other things.
> 
> I have every intention of writing a season 2 for this story--maybe even a season 3 and 4! Perhaps I'll put it together with next year's GX Month. :)
> 
> Again, thank you so much. I can't express how special it was for me to see that people ended up loving my new characters as much as I did. And just think...next time, Saki and crew will have some kohai of their own :)
> 
> Until next time, my friends: gotcha~ that sure was a fun duel :)


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